Nothing Left to Lose
by SarahJayneFics
Summary: Edward Cullen made Bella Swan’s life a living hell from age ten to twelve. Finally fed up with the torment and teasing, she moved to Phoenix. Now she’s seventeen, beautiful, has a new sense of confidence, and is back in Forks.
1. Chapter 1

_I'm annoyed, I think you should shut it  
Give me no attention or you'll be sorry  
I've got nothing left to lose  
You always get your way  
Got everything to prove  
I saw you turn away  
Got nothing left to lose  
You always get your way  
Got everything to prove  
You always get your way_

_-Puddle of Mudd "Nothing Left to Lose"_

_**Five Years Ago **_

_**Bella's POV**_

I walked down the hallway hurriedly. If I walked fast enough, no one could trip me. Of course, that didn't stop me from tripping over my own feet ever so often, but it was easier to recover when I didn't have the entire JV cheerleading squad laughing at me. I groaned as my momentary lapse in concentration caused me to drop the book that I had been hugging to my chest. I turned, smacking into a hard body that almost felt like a wall. I looked up, a stray piece of my frizzy dark hair in my face.

"Oh, I- I'm sorry…" I stuttered, reaching to pick up my fallen book with a shaking hand. I jumped as his foot appeared before my face, sending _Wuthering Heights_ skidding down the hallway. My mother had just sent it to me last week for my 12th birthday. I looked up, my eyes brimming with tears. His perfect face grinned down at me, green eyes sparkling.

"You should be, freak." He said, loud enough for the entire hallway to hear. My cheeks burned as I heard the titters and giggling echo around me. Jasper tugged on his sleeve from behind him, throwing me a pitying look.

"Man, c'mon…" he said quietly. Edward shrugged before turning to follow him.

"Stop staring after him, loser." Lauren hissed in my ear as she passed.

I choked back the tears as best I could, scrambling to retrieve my book. Then I ran. I ran past Mr. Modina's class, where I should be going to history. I ran past the cafeteria, where food being thrown in my hair was a daily occurrence. I ran, only tripping once as I reached the front office.

The secretary looked alarmed. She'd had to call my father more than once due to me being locked in a closet, or having profanity spray painted on my locker.

"I need to call my dad," I said. She handed me the phone wordlessly. I dialed the familiar number, my hand shaking.

He picked up on the second ring."What is it Bells? What's that asshole Cullen done now? I swear to God, I'll-" my father's gruff voice greeted me.

I almost laughed through my tears. Of course he would know it was Edward.

"Dad, please come get me. I need to leave," I heard the momentary silence on his end of the line. He had offered to transfer me to another school before, and I always refused. Yet today was the last straw.

He cleared his throat."Okay, Bells. I'll come get you and give Billy Black a call, I think the La Push school is still open for enrollment-"

"No," I said, "I want to leave Forks. I can't stay here."

The secretary's mouth opened audibly. My father was silent for a moment before I heard his engine start.

"We'll talk about it after I pick you up," he said slowly before hanging up.

I sighed, knowing I'd hurt his feelings. But I couldn't take it anymore. Not this town, not these people. I'd lived here my entire life, and suffered for it.

No more.

_**Esme's POV**_

I waited in the kitchen, anxiously stirring the vegetables. I was trying not to be irritated- Carlisle was working progressively later and later days, and it was taking a toll on our marriage. It didn't help that Edward was getting to that age where he absolutely loathed being seen in public with his mother. I was lonely.

A sharp rap on the door interrupted my reverie. I looked at the oven clock, confused. Edward's friends never had the decency to knock, and 7:30PM seemed a bit late for casual social calls. I wiped my hands on a dishcloth, walking to the front door.

I opened it to find Charlie Swan. He looked very, very upset. His face was red and he was pacing on the front porch. I immediately became alarmed. Had Carlisle been in an accident?

"Mrs. Cullen, may I come in? I need to speak with you." He said, blunt and to the point.

"Yes, of course. Please call me Esme." I had only met the police chief once or twice since we'd moved here, but he always seemed to be a peaceable man.

What had happened to agitate him so? He walked past me into the living room before beginning to pace again. I touched his arm, concerned.

"What is it?" I asked. He let out a ragged breath.

"Esme, I've always been a believer in letting a kid fight their own battles. I stood by for years and watched my daughter come home, harassed and humiliated. She insisted I not involve the principal or anyone's parents. Since she's leaving tomorrow, I feel I have to break that promise." He paused, clenching his fist, "I can't take it anymore."

Confusion and foreboding filled my mind. "What do you mean? What happened to Bella?" I had only seen the girl once or twice around town; very sweet, quiet, shy. She seemed like the type that could be bullied.

And Charlie was here…

"No," I said, realization reaching me. "Oh, Charlie, you can't think that Edward had anything to do with-"

He raised a hand, cutting me off.

No, it couldn't be true. Yes, Edward was a little more pompous these days, and certainly less polite to Carlisle and I, but bullying? And a girl, no less? I'd taught him better.

"This has to be a mistake…"

Charlie met my eyes, harsh resentment in them. I shrank back instinctively. He closed his eyes, appearing to try to collect himself. "I don't mean to place the blame on you. But you have to know. Your son has been tormenting my daughter ever since your family moved here. From teasing to harassing her locker and property, he's made it so bad that she couldn't last a day at school without being mercilessly teased."

I opened my mouth and closed it, surprise in my expression. "I would've heard about this before. No, someone would've told me…" I whispered, almost to myself. I sat down on the couch.

Charlie stood next to me, awkwardly handing me a note. "I thought you should see this. I just went to clean out her locker. He left her this."

I took it, my hand shaking slightly. Jesus. I would know Edward's messy scrawl anywhere. My heart sank as I read the words:

_Hey Swan, or should I call you fat BELLy? Way to go crying to daddy today. Probably the only person who doesn't see you for the pathetic loser you are. Hope you had fun at home- at least you can dream about a world where you have friends and aren't a complete freak. _

I dropped the paper, my head falling to my hands. How could I have missed this? Yes, Edward had been distant, but I could have never imagined that he'd intentionally hurt another human being this way. Carlisle and I taught him so much better.

"I'm so sorry-" I began, my teary eyes rising to meet Charlie's.

He waved my apology away. "We're all at fault a little, Esme. I should've let you know about this when it started, nipped it in the bud. I just think you should know. Today was the last straw- Bella's insisted on moving to Phoenix with her mother."

I sniffled, tears tracking down my cheeks. My son had caused so much damage. My _son_.

Charlie nodded goodbye to me, and left. As the door clicked shut, I slowly reached to pick up the note. I climbed up the stairs, my anger and sadness both growing with each step.

_**Edward's POV**_

I fiddled with the television on my dresser, trying to find something interesting to watch. My door suddenly came flying open. I scoffed, disbelief on my face.

"Mom? What happened to knocking?" I asked in a petulant voice. I stopped at the expression on her face. 

_Retreat, retreat, retreat!_ My brain screamed at me. I took a step back as she took a step forward, a small piece of notebook paper clasped in her hand. My eyes flickered over to it.

_Shit_. I recognized the red pen. It had finally happened. Swan had finally tattled. I rolled my eyes, flouncing back onto my bed.

"Care to explain this?" my mother asked in a soft voice.

I shrugged. The vein above her eye twitched. She was really mad. What, about me screwing with Swan? Everyone did. She was the school piñata.

"EXPLAIN!" she yelled, shaking my windows.

I flinched, shrinking farther back onto the bed. My mother had never spoken to me in any way besides her usual sweet soprano voice. I began to genuinely feel afraid.

"What? It's just a prank," I explained, my voice coming out higher than I intended. I'd only recently prided myself on it dropping sufficiently, and it was in danger of cracking at the moment.

My mother took another step towards me, throwing the note on the bed. "It's more than a prank, Edward. Chief Swan just stopped by."

My eyes widened. After all that I'd done, _this_ was what Swan told?

My mother cleared her throat, "He told me everything you've done, Edward. Not just that," she pointed towards the note, "but _all_ that you've done. How could you? How could you be such a bully? I raised you to treat people with RESPECT, and you've been making this girl's life so bad she has to MOVE to get away from YOU!" Her voice shook my room again.

I just watched her, shock settling into my body. Swan was moving? She was… gone? I felt a pang of something nibble at my insides.

"What? Do you feel bad?" I nodded, "Well, that's only the beginning, Edward. Obviously I can't trust you to behave like a civilized person. If you want to act like a cruel little child, you'll be treated like one."

"What? What are you going to do?" I croaked out.

She smiled sadly through her tears. "I don't even know, Edward. Things have to change. I've obviously failed you as a parent. I can't believe what you've done... I'm ashamed of you."

It was worse than if she'd hit me. I felt guilt and shame. I was drowning in it.

She walked slowly towards my door before turning to me once more, "I'll be in my room. You explain what you've done to your father when he gets home." She slammed the door behind her. I could hear her sobbing, even through the thick walls of our home.

I rose before sliding down against the wall to sit on the floor. The little bit of conscience that I still had regarding Swan came back with full force. Ever since we'd moved to Forks, I'd talked myself into thinking that it was just the way school was.

She was at the bottom of the food chain, and I was at the top. I liked being popular, and I wanted to stay that way. So I learned to block my own reactions to her. I would hum inside my head if I had the instinct to tell Lauren not to trip her, for once. I would bite my lip if I thought of not humiliating her when she gave me a perfectly good chance.

I couldn't get the look she'd given me today out of my head. I'd gotten a close look at her eyes when her glasses were pushed almost to the end of her nose. They were a unique shade of brown, swimming with tears. My defenses had been down. I'd momentarily felt awful for what I'd just said and done. Jasper's plea for me to leave her alone gave me the chance to walk away before I made the mistake of apologizing.

I put a hand over my eyes, still feeling wave upon wave of guilt. I knew it was wrong. I _knew_ it. But this place… I'd just wanted to fit in.

When Lauren, the prettiest girl in elementary school, made fun of Bella, I thought it was only natural that I do so, too. It got out of control. I could see that now. All of the times that I had repressed my feelings of guilt were coming back to bite me in the ass.

Now she was gone. Good for her.

_I _still had to live with me.

_**Present day**_

_**Bella's POV **_

I smiled as I descended the stairs from the plane, meandering around to wait for Charlie. Remembering the day I'd decided to leave always made me feel proud.

I pulled out the small mirror my mother had given me from my purse, running my manicured fingertips over it gently. I flicked it open, observing my face out of habit. Light makeup in place, my hair falling in gentle smooth waves past my shoulders. I bared my whitened teeth, snapping them. I giggled as I shut the compact. How things change.

I was thankful for my years in Phoenix. There I had made friends, real friends that didn't care that I was clumsy or disheveled.

As I entered high school, puberty hit me like a freight train. It seemed like overnight my body had transformed into a petite frame with curves in all the right places. My hair began to calm, as my mother always said it would. The braces came off, and the contacts replaced the glasses. Imagine my mother's surprise that she had to send her good girl back home to Daddy because of her worries.

I sighed, thinking of Laurent again. The first day of tenth grade he had pulled me aside and explained in no uncertain terms that I had it "goin' on" and I needed to "accessorize that tight ass".

He had dragged me to the salon, dying my hair a lighter shade of brown and highlighting it with blond streaks. He had immediately proclaimed that I was worthy of being his "wing woman". Needless to say, I liked his sense of humor. Plus, we had similar taste in guys.

Worried that I was "running with the wrong crowd", Renee decided to send me back to Charlie for my senior year, despite my protests.

Even though we disagreed often, I still had an affectionate relationship with my mom. I didn't blame her for sending me here. Plus, in a year I'd be free to do whatever I want with her blessing. I was planning on joining Laurent at ASU.

Plus, this year could be very, very… interesting. I knew from my phone calls and summer trips to California with my dad that he busted Edward Cullen for multiple underage alcohol possession charges, as well as busting up several of his house parties. Pretty boy must still be big man on campus.

_Oh, revenge will be sweet._

The Forks police uniform was easy to spot in the crowd. I side-stepped a gawking pimply kid as I walked towards my father. My years on the dance team in Phoenix had all but solved my balance issues as I navigated through the crowd.

"Hey, dad." I spoke softly. Although I'd grown a tough exterior in Phoenix, I still had a soft spot for my bumbling father.

He smiled, although it looked a bit forced. He was probably worried about the upcoming school year. He should know that I'm not going to be bullied this time around. The thought was almost laughable.

"Hey, Bells." He said, grabbing my second suitcase for me, "Let's go home."

I nodded, still pondering how much I'd changed over the years. The drive home was painfully slow, but not really all that awkward. The silence left me more time to think about what this school year would bring.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Bella's POV**_

When we arrived, I hauled my suitcases upstairs. Charlie had a meeting to attend, so I was on my own for dinner. Fine by me. I opened the front door, keen on finding some greasy fast food. I stopped short at the guy standing in front of it, his hand poised as if to knock. I must've looked alarmed, because he backed away slightly.

"Hey, I was just gonna let Charlie know that my mom's making stew," his voice was low and gravelly. I liked it. He looked around my age, too.

I smiled slightly, "He's at a meeting."

"Oh." The guy nodded, putting his hands in his pockets.

He smirked at me, and I grinned right back. He was definitely a hot specimen; dark cropped hair, baby blue eyes… and those muscles peeking out from his t-shirt looked yummy. I could see him checking me out as well.

"I'm Bella." I decided to get the formalities over with. He smiled.

"James. We live next door." I stepped forward and extended my hand for him to shake. He took it, twisting it around and planting a soft kiss on the back of my hand. I chuckled.

"Think you're smooth, James?" He opened his mouth, flabbergasted. I shrugged.

"Yeah, a little." He finally said, amusement in his eyes, "Not used to being called out on it, though."

"Get used to it." I flirted and he smiled. "Hey, I was just going to get some food. Can you show me a good place?"

He nodded, "Yeah. Let me go tell my mom I'm going so she doesn't flip out. Usually Charlie comes over almost every night for dinner."

I laughed. Just like Charlie. James' mom must've taken pity on my father's inability to not burn a frozen TV dinner.

James and I walked to a tiny little diner before sitting down in a booth. I enjoyed his company. We made each other laugh very easily, and I could definitely see myself having some fun with him. I was excited to find out he was a senior, too.

Completely uninhibited, I told him about my past. He listened, serious. He even looked pissed when I talked about what Edward did. He promised to help me put the bastard in his place. I'd made a very, very valuable ally: James was the school soccer star, and apparently knew everyone there was to know. He walked me back home, pausing in front of my front door.

"Thanks for walking me home," I kidded, nodding towards his house that was only thirty or so yards away.

He laughed, "No problem, Miss Swan. I'll definitely be seeing you in school."

"Hmm, it'll be a shorter wait than that. Aren't you going to spy on me in my bedroom window?" I asked innocently.

He smirked."Oh, miss Bella, only if you ask."

I leaned forward, giving him a slow, light kiss. He smiled against my lips as his tongue traced mine. I leisurely wrapped my arms around his neck.

Kissing James was so calm and sweet. I pulled back, smiling at his glazed-over eyes.

"What was that?" he asked, breathless. He touched his fingers to his lips, both a question and lust in his eyes.

I paused, "I don't know. Being neighborly?" I smiled again, biting my lip, "Goodnight, James."

"Goodnight Bella." he said, dreamily.

I giggled as I watched him glide towards his house from the living room window. Being so impetuous was also a fairly recent development. Kissing random boys… my old self would've been horrified.

***

The next afternoon, I pulled the gigantic red truck into the crowded parking lot, scowling. Charlie had insisted on buying me this truck before I even had a say in it. Phil's now Major-league money was sitting pretty in my bank account, and I was stuck driving a huge, rattling beast because I didn't want to hurt my dad's feelings.

_Oh well. Maybe it'll break down before the year's over. Or it could meet with an unfortunate accident. _I smiled at the fantasy as I jumped down from the driver's seat.

I approached the Port Angeles outlets with more than a little bit of trepidation. In Phoenix, I had always had Laurent's advice on everything from fashion to how I wore my hair. I had developed a fashion sense of my own, but I definitely wasn't by any means a fashion maven.

I eyed the shops with anxious eyes. I'd never grown fond of shopping- I learned to see it as a necessary evil. And I needed new clothes before the first day of school. New, sexy, fuck-you-Edward-Cullen clothes.

If only they had a store labeled that, it would save me a lot of trouble.

I wandered into the Chanel store, pausing to peruse the display mannequins. I picked up a dark blue top, holding it up against me to see how it looked. I felt a tiny rap on my shoulder and turned around, startled. I looked down to meet a pair of hazel eyes a few inches below my own.

The girl standing before me looked like she walked out of a magazine. With dark hair falling in blunt strands just past her chin, she smiled up at me. I tentatively smiled back, wondering why she tapped my shoulder. Did she think I was shoplifting?

"Hi. I don't recognize you," she said in a friendly tone.

I opened my mouth before shutting it again. Did she go around saying this to everyone she didn't know?

She continued before I had a chance to respond, "Which means you're new in town. Hi, I'm Alice Wells." She beamed at me, extending her little hand for me to shake. I took it, smiling back.

"Bella Swan. And you're right, I am new. Well, I used to live here, but…"

"You escaped and came back willingly?" A new voice came from behind me. I turned to see a beautiful bombshell dressed just as well as the brunette in front of me. She was taller and curvier than her friend. I smirked at her.

"Half-willingly. My mom didn't like the attitude I was developing in Phoenix, so I'm back here for senior year." The blond smiled at me, apparently with approval. Alice walked to stand next to her. She scowled at her friend.

"Damn it, Rosalie, quit interrupting me!" she pouted. The blond, Rosalie, shrugged before grinning at me again. I smiled back.

Rosalie continued, "Well, I'm Rosalie and my hyperactive little friend here told me we _had_ to go shopping today because there was someone we _must_ meet." Alice nodded exuberantly.

I furrowed my brow. "And that someone is me?" I asked, perplexed. Alice nodded and Rosalie started to laugh at the dubious look on my face. "Are you sure?" Alice rolled her eyes.

"Bella, when I get feelings, they are never wrong. Rosalie, tell her." She poked her friend in the ribs.

"Ow! Fuck. Yes, she is our psychic princess." Rosalie teased her friend. I smiled half-heartedly before biting my lip.

"Um, well… sorry to disappoint?" I said, wondering what they could want. I'd never been good friends with any girls back home. I felt awkward standing around these two perfect girls.

Alice shook her head, "No, you don't disappoint. You're gorgeous, and we're taking you out to lunch." Again, the girl left me speechless. She took the top I'd been eyeing out of my hands, sighing dramatically, "_After_ I help you pick out clothes. You do realize this is two sizes too big for you?" She shook it at me as if to emphasize her point.

I backed away, my hands up in mock-defense. Rosalie chuckled, "Bella, you seem too well-dressed for someone who would pick… that. Who shopped for you where you came from?" She asked, watching as Alice buzzed into the racks of clothes, presumably to find me a better outfit.

I shrugged, "Who says anyone helped me?" Rosalie raised a lone eyebrow. _Busted_. "Okay, my friend helped me. He had better instincts than I did about this stuff." Rosalie nodded, understanding.

Alice ran back to me, shoving six hangers' worth of clothes into my hands. I rolled my eyes before dumping all of the selected clothes onto the sales counter, asking the woman to ring me up. If there was something I hated more than shopping, it was trying on clothes. Plus, Alice looked too eager to make me try on everything in the shop.

Alice raised her eyebrows at my nonchalance and Rosalie chuckled. "Uh oh, pretty and rich. You'll never get rid of us now."

I giggled at their antics. How was it possible that I'd managed to make two friends here so quickly? Well, not make so much as be claimed by two friends. In addition to James, who was a yummy distraction. I mentally shrugged. Who was I to judge?

_Maybe this is karma rewarding me for all of the years Forks fucked me over._

"So, where're we going for lunch?" I asked, winking at my new friends.

They made eye contact before each grabbing one of my arms in theirs. They led me across the street to a quaint little Italian restaurant. As we were seated, an elfish looking guy came up to the table. His eyes lit up when he saw us.

"Aw, fuck me, not Newton…" Rosalie muttered. Alice sighed.

"Hello ladies!" He said in a higher-than-normal male voice, wiggling his eyebrows up and down wildly. "What can I get you lovely female specimens today?" He squinted his pale eyes at us in what I guessed was supposed to be a sexy look.

I snorted, and Rose laughed into her napkin, making a honking noise. Alice, looking chagrined, smiled slightly at the waiter as she kicked both of us in the shins under the table.

"We'll have three cokes, thank you, Mike."

He nodded, dashing away to get the drinks. I laughed. "Who is that?" I asked, watching as he tore around the restaurant.

Rosalie snorted again and Alice sighed once more.

"Mike Newton. The thorn in our collective paw since freshman year."

Rose laughed, "He's a gigantic horn dog and tries to get with every girl on campus. And I mean _every_ girl." I nodded, making a mental note to avoid the lothario.

"It's fine to be nice to him. He can't help the way he is." Alice reasoned as Rose and I cracked up again, "But yeah, he's probably so excited because he almost never gets to talk to us."

"Why?" I asked. Both girls gave me a "Duh" look.

"Because we are the most popular girls at Forks High, and seniors to boot. No one enters our inner circle without proving themselves first." Rose answered matter-of-factly. I must have looked apprehensive, because her face softened. "You're a special case, Bella. Alice and I almost never like any other girl. I can tell we're going to be best friends."

I nodded slowly, smiling slightly at Mike as he brought our cokes. After placing our orders, he scurried away again, adjusting his pants. _Gross_.

Alice looked concerned, "What's wrong, Bella?"

I decided to come clean. They'd hear soon enough, anyway. "I'm not sure if you guys will want to be my friend." They both looked surprised and pissed. Alice opened her mouth to object, but I continued on, "When I went to school here before, in middle school, I wasn't Miss Popularity. Hell, I was at the bottom of the ladder. And I was teased. A lot. Actually, they made my life a living hell. So when I found out I was coming back here, I kind of promised myself that I'd…"

"Get even with them?" Alice asked. I looked up. Both girls had devious smiles on their faces.

"Y-Yeah…" I muttered, surprised. Why were the two most popular girls still here?

"Bella," Alice reached across the table to touch my hand lightly. "It doesn't matter that some pricks picked on you during your awkward phase. We like you. Do you know how unusual that is? We usually can't stand to be around other girls for more than twenty seconds." I gaped at them as Rose nodded in agreement.

"We've got your back," she said, seriously.

"Uh, okay. Well… wow." I couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Tell us what happened, and who did what." Alice said, sitting back in the booth with a determined look on her pretty face. How she managed to look like a fierce mafia boss while looking so cute, I'll never know. I paused. What if Cullen was dating one of these girls? They noticed my hesitation. "Come on, Bella. Seriously. Neither one of us was here till freshman year, and we're both dating people who've been here since sophomore year. So don't worry." Alice assured me.

I took a deep breath, "Okay. Well, a lot of girls picked on me. Lauren Mallory was the ringleader of them. They would knock me down, trip me, wreck my stuff and make me cry in front of everybody…" I looked up to see both girls with murderous looks on their faces.

"It's alright, Bella. We know her. She's still a huge bitch. It's nice to know we have another reason to hate her now." Rosalie winked. I laughed.

"Go on." Alice urged.

"Well, besides those girls, there was just one guy. For over two years, from elementary to middle school, he made my life a living hell. He was king of the school. He humiliated me on a daily basis. He thought he was God's gift and made me miserable enough that I had to move away."

Rose and Alice exchanged a loaded look before they said in unison, "Edward Cullen."

I scoffed, disbelief on my face, "How'd you know?" They both shrugged.

"Bella, Edward is the most popular guy at school. He's gotten into every hot girls' pants… with the exception of ours, of course." Rosalie grinned, "He's more chill now, but I've heard stories about him being a dick back in the day. Apparently he cooled it down by the time Alice and I moved here. He's still a pompous ass, but he's not a complete douche."

I nodded, interested. "Who told you about when he was mean?"

Alice smirked, "Jasper Hale. He's been Edward's best friend for as long as we've been here." My mind perked at the sound of the name. Alice noticed my new expression.

"Did you know him? Was he bad, too?" she asked. I shook my head, letting the memories surround me.

"No," I answered, "He never participated, but he never stood up for me, either." I looked down at my hands, depressed at the memories, "…No one did."

Mike came by and gave us our orders with a flourish, winking so much it looked as if he could be having a mild seizure. Rosalie glared until he reluctantly went away.

"Jasper didn't defend you? What a tool." Rose mused, stirring her pasta. I shrugged.

"You know, Bella." Alice began, conspiratorially, "Edward and Jazz have a weird relationship. Edward has this dominating sort of personality. Every girl Jazz has dated or fucked? Edward was there first. And Jazz never seems to mind letting him get everyone and everything first. If you walk into school and ignore Edward and pursue Jazz, it'll bug the fuck out of Cullen. Maybe even split up the wonder-pair."

I nodded, intrigued as I chewed my own ravioli. "What's Jasper like now?" I asked, hoping to sound innocent. Alice laughed.

"He is a Grade-A hottie, Miss Swan. Even _I _think so." Alice said. Rose laughed, elbowing Alice. I frowned, confused. Alice went on to explain, "I'm a lesbian, Bella."

"Ohhh." I said, smiling.

Alice wrinkled her petite brow. "What?" she asked.

"You think I'm pretty! It's just more flattering now." I teased. Alice threw back her head and laughed as Rosalie giggled.

"Are you two…?" I trailed off suggestively. Being friends with Laurent had made me completely uninhibited when it came to sexuality.

Rosalie choked on her coke. "No!" she sputtered, almost spraying me with soda. Alice rolled her eyes.

"Rose is straight. She's got her eye on Forks' star football player, Emmett McCarty. I've got a casual thing going on with another cheerleader, Angela. She's a real sweetie, you'll meet her later." Alice smiled, "But… sometimes we do have make-out parties. With Jell-O shooters, hot tub, all that jazz. Usually boys show up just to watch what they can't have." Alice's expression turned contemplative, "Cullen shows up almost every time. Drives him nuts that I won't do him and that Rose won't jump on his junk. I bet seeing _you_ there would drive him wild." She gave me a playful wink.

"Sign me up!" I exclaimed, making several tables look over in irritation.

We all made eye contact before breaking out into laughter again. I couldn't believe my luck. Not only did I have a concrete plan in place to make Cullen my bitch, but I had two amazing little vixens along for the ride. This year was most definitely looking up.

We paused in our laughter as Mike approached with the check, which Alice promptly scooped up. She read it and immediately smacked her forehead with her palm, handing it over to Rose. Rose wrinkled up her nose in disgust.

"What? Did they overcharge?" I asked. Rose gave me a "There are no words" look before handing me the check. Mike had scrawled across the top:

_Have a good day! I RSVP YES to the close encounters of the SEXY kind!_

"It's like… he's part crazy… part nerd… and part pervert." Rosalie muttered.

"The worst possible combo, I agree." Alice said.

I just motioned for the pen before writing a note back. I showed the girls, who began howling with laughter. We clutched onto each other as we left the restaurant, leaving cash on the table next to the bill with my little note on it.

_Mike: Do NOT take us to your leader. _

_XOXO, the Forks hotties_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Bella's POV**_

I felt both invigorated and nervous in the morning on the first day of school. Alice and Rose had helped me pick out a kick-ass outfit: a short grey skirt, black stilettos and a blue fluttery top that exposed just enough cleavage.

I took a long shower, appreciating my now even smoother skin. Rose had dragged me to a salon for a leg and bikini wax. Although it was a hell of a lot more painful than shaving, the results made my skin feel like cream. I'd have to tell Laurent when he called later; he'd been begging me to wax since I met him.

I took the time to brush out my hair before blow-drying it. I admired my new highlights- Alice had suggested adding more blond, and the color made my skin tone seem warmer. I quickly applied a light sweep of eyeliner and mascara, pursing my lips to apply some peach-toned shiny gloss. I tousled my hair, curling the ends with an iron. Usually I didn't put so much effort into my appearance, but today was a special case: today was my reintroduction to Edward Cullen.

I looked at the clock: 7:05. "Fuck…" I muttered, running late. Alice and Rose had promised to pick me up right now. I heard a knock on the door as I dashed to get my toothbrush. Shoving it and some toothpaste in my mouth, I shouted down "JUST A MINUTE!" while trying not to splatter my new sexy outfit. I ran downstairs, grabbing my bag before I went. I hopped into the backseat of Rose's cherry-red BMW convertible.

"You ready for today?" Alice said, turning in her seat to smile at me. I groaned.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

She smiled encouragingly before chattering away about parties going on this weekend, who I should meet, and who I should avoid. I was grateful for the distraction. As we pulled into the parking lot, I began to steel my nerves. I had to be strong for this. I'd waited too long to fuck this up. I slowly exited the car.

I saw him before he saw me; for that I was thankful. Rosalie and Alice flanked me on either side as we walked towards the front of the school. I felt like "Mean Girls" personified. Except I wouldn't be cruel to anyone…. save a certain bronze-haired jerk. Oh, and Lauren. Bitch's ass was mine. I could hear Rosalie cackling with glee already. I sighed, and that caused Alice to playfully nudge my side.

"Go easy on her, Bella. No one's ever knocked Edward Cullen down from his pedestal before. Be glad I talked her out of bringing the video camera."

I smiled at that, biting my lip in concentration. I had waited so long for this moment. Debated on whether to be icily aloof or to smash his beautiful face in with my fist. I settled on a happy medium. Both Alice and Rosalie had advised me on how to conduct my revenge, and I couldn't be more thankful for both of them.

As we walked closer, I donned my Ray Bans with a smirk. The whispers were starting already. I was watching him, of course. He'd tilted his head towards us, ignoring the hulking guy that stood next to him.

"Emmett's on his left," Rosalie whispered in my ear. I raised my eyebrows.

"Damn, girl." I said lightly, and she giggled, slapping my arm lightly.

"Bella, how did we ever get along without you?" Alice asked, placing her tiny arm around my waist. Rose nodded as we neared our destination.

"Go get the fucker," she hissed as we paused in front of the growing crowd, led by none other than Edward.

He looked good, but what else could I expect? He'd grown taller and more muscular, but he was the same green-eyed asshole who made me feel worthless.

"Ladies," he nodded.

I had to stop myself from shuddering at the sound of his voice. Damn, it hadn't gotten any easier. He had the most smooth, seductive voice. Completely unfair. Rose and Alice waved slightly, but I did nothing.

He stared at me intently, curiosity in his expression. _Pretty boy's waiting for the new girl to fawn over him. _

I casually took off my sunglasses, pushing them up so they laid on top of my perfectly coiffed hair. I made eye contact for a fraction of a second before looking around, boredom in my expression.

"Hey," he spoke to me.

I raised an eyebrow before scoffing as I continued perusing my new school. I could hear him exhale angrily. Clearly, he wasn't used to being ignored.

"Bella!" James' merry voice called out as he came barreling towards me. I wanted to be angry, but the boy was too goddamn cute. I smiled as he charged over and picked me up, swinging me around. I laughed, surprised. I hugged him before pulling back. He held me at arms' length.

"It's been for-fuckin'-ever." He said with mock-sincerely.

I cracked up again. I could feel rather than see Edward's perplexed frown.

"Bella?" he said. I looked closely at him. He seemed to be trying to place me, but still didn't get it. I rolled my eyes. _How many Bella's has he met in Forks? _

"That's right. Bella Swan," I said smoothly. His eyes bugged out ever so slightly. _There we go_. His eyes burned up and down my torso, down to my stiletto-clad legs and back up again. I smirked.

"Bel-la. Swa-an." I spoke slowly, "You remember me, don't you Cullen?" His mouth opened, but made no sound. I smirked, stepping closer to him, "You're still as pwetty as a little pwincess!" I pinched his smooth cheek while pursuing my lips.

Emmett let out a loud guffaw and Alice and Rose both dissolved into giggles. Still speechless, he brought a hand to the bright pink spot where I'd pinched him.

"What, nothing to say?" I ran my hand down his chest, tracing my thumb sideways across his thin cotton shirt. He hissed in a low breath, pupils dilating. I met his gaze, looking up seductively from under my lashes. I knew that look. I couldn't count the number of times I'd seen boys in Phoenix watching me that way: with lust. I inwardly cheered. _Gotcha, fuckface._

I stepped back and flicked my hand towards him as if shooing a fly. "So, James, mind showing me my first class?" He smirked, offering his arm gallantly. I took it. Edward was standing still, gaping after me.

I paused, scrutinizing the guy who had just arrived. His dark blond shaggy hair was carelessly ruffled. Blue-gray eyes widened as he took me in. I bit my lip as I scanned his features, even more gorgeous with age. The years had definitely treated him well, or I'd never taken the time to look at him all those years ago.

_Alice was right: yummy. Is he still Cullen's bff?_ I wondered, smiling widely when Jasper began to whisper to Edward. _Bingo_.

"Jasper," I called as James started to lead me away, "We should catch up. Leave your hubby behind, though."

Jasper's face turned quizzical, curious, and undeniably turned on as he tried to get Edward to tell him who I was. I winked before sashaying away on James' arm. I could hear Alice and Rose cheering.

"You… are a troublemaker." James said, his handsome features awestruck. I shrugged.

"If you'd seen what they did to me five years ago, you'd know that they deserve it," I smiled.

He matched my grin before wrapping a possessive arm around my waist as we parted the crowd like the fuckin' Red Sea. I raised a skeptical eyebrow. He matched my earlier careless shrug.

"You _are_ Forks' hottest piece of ass now," he said, by means of explanation. I laughed, leaning into his shoulder.

"I don't do the whole boyfriend-girlfriend thing." I noted lowly in his ear.

He groaned, "Stop, please. If you say one more perfect thing I'll have to bend you over the closest desk."

I laughed, nipping his ear playfully with my teeth as he guided me towards my first class.

_**Alice's POV**_

Bella was everything Rose and I had been looking for in a friend. As we walked towards the entrance of Forks High, I felt better than I had for years. It was like she composed our missing piece- we were now a trio to be reckoned with. And Rose made fun of my "feelings". Bella proved her wrong.

As we walked to the front of the school, we paused. Of course, Edward was there. _It's sink or swim time now, baby_. I squeezed her waist before letting her go.

Whoa. She completely owned him. Cullen looked as if he was about to hump her in the street. I'd never seen him look so horny or so embarrassed. The best was when Bella sashayed away with James.

"When the fuck did she meet him?" Rose whispered, impressed. I shrugged. James was one of the notorious school players. Seemed like Bella had him under her thumb as well.

_Atta girl. _

The crowd buzzed with giggles and murmurs after Bella left. Edward was still standing motionless, and Emmett was laughing his ass off. "DUDE, you got OWNED!" He bellowed, slapping Edward on the back. Edward scowled and started walking towards his Volvo (or as Rose and I dubbed it, the _Hobiscuit-Mobile_). Jasper was still confused, badgering Edward with questions.

I took a second just to take in the situation around me. Edward Cullen _and_ Jasper Hale. Both hot and bothered. Girls buzzing with envy and jealousy. Rose and I made eye contact before grinning.

This year was going to be amazing.

_**Edward's POV**_

I pulled on a t-shirt and jeans, pausing to make sure my hair was in its usual state of disarray in the mirror by the door. I grinned, pleased. _Watch out, ladies_. I ran out the door, smiling at my Volvo, glinting in the sun. My smile faltered as I saw a piece of paper under a windshield wiper. Apprehensively I snatched it up, reading the bright pink pen:

_Eddie! I missed u last nite. Where were u? O well, see u at skool!3 3 3 3 ;) Lauren_

_P.S. I miss u! _

I rolled my eyes, crumpling it. Bitch could not take a hint. All I did was give her the privilege of fucking her twice two months ago, and she turned into a fuckin' psycho. I needed a more direct approach: maybe a singing quartet of "Leave me the fuck alone" in B minor. I filed that away into my mental to-do list as I climbed into the car.

The short drive to school was spent winking at girls in other cars and checking out my reflection in the rearview. As I slung my backpack over my shoulder, I leisurely strolled towards school. Slapping high fives with the males and eyeing the females, I felt good. I stopped near the entrance of the school, waiting for Hale to make his fuckin' presence known.

"Edward, hey." Jessica Stanley appeared right in my face. I took an instinctive step back before raising a single eyebrow at her gall.

"Lauren's been asking about you, she'll _die_ when she hears I saw you first! She went to look on the field, and in the stands… and I think in some closets…" She blabbed on. I ignored her, a red streak catching my eyes.

Ah, Rosalie Whitlock. Miss Unattainable. Maybe she'd finally stop being a frigid bitch this year. I watched appreciatively as she exited the car. The movement of another person caught my attention.

Of course Alice Wells was with her. Yet another girl who refuses to let me conquer. At least that one wasn't such a blow to my ego, considering she wasn't into dicks. My eyes widened as I saw a third figure emerge from the car and get in line with Alice and Rosalie.

_What the fuck? _

Alice and Rosalie were the most popular girls here, but also the most elite. Girls had done ridiculous things to try to catch their attention. They never paid any attention, though. This girl had to be something to infiltrate that tight little duo.

I squinted my eyes slightly, trying to see her better.

Oh. _Oh. Fuck. Me. _

She was gorgeous. Blond hair, but not platinum like Rosalie's. More of a dirty blond, highlights over a light chestnut color. Her face was beautiful- heart-shaped with big eyes. She reached to put on sunglasses as Alice and Rosalie joked with her.

I had to restrain my mouth from dropping open at how comfortable they all seemed together. I mentally cursed myself for pushing Alice and Rose so far… Looked like I would need to be in their good graces to get closer to the new girl.

As they got closer, I subtly cleared my throat. "Ladies," I purred, trying to suck up to Alice and Rosalie. They gave me small greetings, but nothing else. _Bitches. Guess I'll have to introduce myself. _

"Hey," I said, trying to sound cool, aloof, seductive and noncommittal at the same time. My usual.

She ignored me, putting her sunglasses on top of her beautiful head. Wait, she ignored me? _Hell, no._ She looked around like I was just a piece of gum on her shoe. What the fuck? I knew that I was the best looking guy here. Alice and Rosalie had to have told her something. _Damage control time_.

Just then, James Fuckhead Collich came running towards her. She greeted _him_ like an old friend. I huffed angrily before I processed what he called her. Bella. I said it aloud, wondering where I'd heard that name before.

As she told me her name was Bella Swan, I could almost feel my eyes pop out of the socket. I scanned up and down her body… long, delicious legs barely hidden under a short skirt, sexy top that showed just enough of her perky tits, black stilettos that I would definitely make her leave on as she rode me… no, this couldn't be. I tried to remember Bella Swan. Dorky, plain, not ugly, but sure as fuck not this.

_Don't forget Esme grounded you for all of eighth grade because of what you did_. Oh, fuck. Suddenly everything I'd done to her came flooding back. Teasing and sneering while she looked up at me with those-

I looked up and the eyes were the same as I remembered. A light brown, almost almond brown.

It really was her.

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. …Fuck._

Then she proceeded to speak to me. Asking me questions while I sure as hell wasn't capable of saying anything that wasn't a string of vowels. And when she touched me. Jesus. She looked up at me, touching my shirt with those pretty little hands. I almost groaned.

As quickly as she'd come, she asked James to show her to class. I could hear the roar of my classmates around me, but I couldn't respond. I heard Jasper finally get his lazy ass to school. He tugged on my sleeve, asking what was going on. Then she went and did it.

She talked to Jasper. Practically invited him to a fiesta in her panties. My best friend Jasper. Jasper who never conquered before me. I felt an odd mixture of jealousy, anxiety, guilt and excitement. As I walked towards the Volvo, I could still hear the laughter of my classmates as well as Jasper now asking Alice who that was.

This was too bad to be true. Like a fucking after school special. Why couldn't Bella grow up with a hunchback, or maybe some extra facial hair? I knew I wanted her, and she must know it, too. But this presented a great challenge.

As I stepped into the Volvo, I rested my forehead on the steering wheel. Closing my eyes, all I saw was her smirk, her face, her legs.

Clearly, Bella Swan's purpose in life was to torture me.

_Fuuuuck._


	4. Chapter 4

_**Jasper's POV**_

_Body, body, body wanna feel my body,  
Body, body, body gonna thrill my body,  
Body, body, body don't cha stop my body,  
Body, body, body it's so hot my body-_

I groaned, rolling over and smacking the "Off" button.

"Fucking Cullen." I growled at his latest joke. Asshole loved to set my alarm to play homoerotic tunes. At least this was better than his Olivia Newton-John phase. I'd had "I Honestly Love You" stuck in my head for days. I stretched, yawning as I scratched just under my navel.

First day of senior year. Whoop-de-fuckin'-do. Another year of watching my best friend whore himself out while trying not to laugh. He was bound to catch something this year. I hoped it was crabs. I smirked at the thought. Oh _please_, Lord, let it be crabs.

I quickly dressed, giving little thought to the plain dark green t-shirt and khakis as I threw them on. I ruffled my hands through my hair before brushing my teeth. Taking the stairs two at a time, I saw Mom's latest note by the front door.  
_  
Jasper- came home for a few hours. Leaving for Baltimore. Be back in two weeks._

I sighed. And after those two weeks, she'd spend maybe a day at home before jetting off to another adventure. Sure, it was an advantage to have the house to myself pretty much all the time, and it was nice to have no one to answer to. Still, I found myself feeling lonely more often than not.

Slamming the door behind me, I waved to our gardener, who was knee-deep in flowers. I kick-started my bike, unable to restrain a satisfied smile as I heard it purr. Climbing on, I tore through the streets of Forks, only going the speed limit on the road right by the school. Chief Swan delighted in parking in a little alcove nearby on slow days, and I'd been pulled over numerous times. Luckily, he didn't have it out for me, so I rarely got a ticket. Edward, on the other hand, had a collection of tickets that the Chief would merrily write for him.

I pulled into the parking lot, carefully cutting the engine. I almost laughed out loud when I noticed who I'd parked next to. Rosalie. She and Alice were some of my closest friends. They were the only two girls in our circle that could hold a conversation, true. But more importantly, they'd never given it up to Edward, which infuriated him. The little part of me that always resented Edward's need to sleep with every attractive girl in the school was always pleased to see how frustrated it made him to be refused by two beautiful women.

I strolled to the front of the school, raising my eyebrows at the crowd. _Huh._ Unusual, to say the least. I recognized Rose and Alice standing near Edward, who had the weirdest look on his face. He looked like someone ran over his puppy for a moment, then like he'd hit the lottery the next. I followed the direction of his gaze, watching...

_Damn._

So there was a new girl. That explained Edward's fascination. My eyes widened as I took the time to really look at her. Light hair, great body, but her face... She was gorgeous. And she was looking back at me. I started for a second, then cursed myself for my interest. She was new, which meant that Cullen had dibs. We never outright discussed things like this, but I'd seen the way Edward treated other guys who challenged him, like James. Plus, none of the girls at our school motivated me to want to rock the boat. Let Edward have his fun.

This girl was another story. She bit her plump lip, drawing my eyes to it. What was she doing, looking at me like that? I was no stranger to girls' eye-fucking me, but never when Edward was right next to me.

"What's going on?" I whispered. He ignored me.

"Jasper," she said my name in a soft, smooth voice, "We should catch up." She smiled, "Leave your hubby behind, though," she nodded her head towards Edward before winking.

As she turned to leave with James (no wonder Edward looked so pissed), her skirt fluttered slightly in the breeze, exposing the back of her smooth thighs. I almost choked.

"Edward, who the hell was that?" I asked.

He ignored me again, his eyes still on her retreating back. The entire school body seemed to be outside providing a commentary. Emmett was laughing so hard that I thought he would turn purple, and Alice and Rose were both sporting bright smiles. Irritated, I wondered what I'd missed. She knew my name. Who was that?

"Edward!" I exclaimed before he stormed off towards the parking lot. I gaped, open-mouthed. I'd never seen him like that.

Frustrated, I turned towards Alice. "Who is she?" I asked, pleading. She looked at me appraisingly before grinning.

"That, Mr. Hale, was Bella Swan." She raised her eyebrows up and down playfully before kissing me lightly on the cheek. She waved goodbye as she and Rose meandered into school. I stood still.

_Bella Swan?_

A frown took hold of my face as I remembered her. How could I not? I'd known her since I moved here in third grade. She was always quiet and shy, but very sweet. I never talked to her much, but I'd had a small crush on her. She was so genuine.

Then Edward moved to town. Suddenly, I went from barely speaking to Bella to not speaking to her at all. Edward entered Forks (and my life) like a tornado. We'd bonded over the same games, made each other laugh and become best friends almost instantly.

Edward had been so different from me- where I was quiet and reserved, he was gregarious and social. Even as a kid, he'd immediately charmed half of our elementary school. When he'd decided that we were going to be popular, I'd happily gone along for the ride. But I didn't approve of his treatment of Bella.

I winced, vividly remembering moments that I'd tried to repress. Bella crying after Lauren or Edward made a cruel joke. Bella scurrying around the halls, looking afraid to look up from her feet. Edward definitely outdid himself there. I'd never been brave enough to call him out on his cruelty. When I'd heard that she moved, I'd felt very guilty. Edward was remorseful, but not as much as I thought he should have been.

Now she was back.

_"And hot. Very, very hot!" _my brain reminded me.

She didn't seem upset to see me, but what was going on? Was she angry with me? Of course she'd be out to get Edward, but what did she think of me? I felt the urge to apologize. I'd always wanted to, and now I had the perfect chance. I took a step forward, determined to talk to Bella at some point today.

_**Bella's POV**_

High school in Forks did not disappoint. Apparently I was the new shiny plaything, because everyone (including teachers) was staring. Word had gone around that Chief Swan's daughter was back, and I could feel eyes burning into my all through my first class. I ignored them, flipping through the syllabus.

_Read that, read that... read that one in sixth grade..._

It looked like it would be a fairly easy year. I'd always gotten good grades in Phoenix without trying, so this year wasn't intimidating. The girl next to me kept trying to make tentative eye contact. When I looked at her, she flinched in surprise.

"What?" I asked, bluntly but not rude. She shivered a little.

"Are you really Bella Swan?" she asked, her voice quivering. I nodded, impatient.

"Oh," she hesitated, "My best friend said she used to know you-"

I interrupted her, "That friend wouldn't be named Lauren...?"

She smiled, "Yeah! Lauren Mallory."

I smiled back, "Did she say how she knew me?" The girl frowned, puzzled as she shook her head.

"No, she just said she knew you." Her voice was grating on my nerves.

I kept smiling, lulling the little lemming into a false sense of security, "Tell her to come and say hi."

She nodded eagerly, probably congratulating herself on getting into the new girl's good graces. As the bell rang I stood up, ignoring whatever else the girl wanted to say.

"My name's Jessica!" she called out.

I rolled my eyes and gave her a little wave as I continued to walk away. I smiled genuinely as I saw Rosalie's blond hair a few feet in front of me, by the lockers. I came up from behind her, tapping her on the shoulder. She turned with a hostile expression on her face before grinning.

"Oh, Bells. It's you. I thought it was another weirdo. You wouldn't believe how many people have tried to ask me about you." She said, reaching to pull me into a quick hug, "How are you doing?"

"Good." I answered simply, looking from her to Emmett. He smiled exuberantly, dimples on his square-shaped face.

"Nice to meet you! I wanna thank you for embarrassing Cullen like that. It made my life." He held out a giant palm for a high five. I giggled before complying as Rose looked on proudly.

"So, what're you doing tonight, Rose?" I asked innocently. She gave me a look, but I continued. "I heard there's a new Thai place that just opened. You should go." I squinted at Emmett, who looked from me to her, confused. "Emmett, that was a hint for you to take her there. Pick her up at eight." He looked shocked for a second before nodding as he chuckled.

"I guess I'll see you then, Rosie." He smiled, squeezing her hand. She blushed furiously as he walked away.

She turned on me, aggravation and happiness both on her face. I can't believe I just saw her blush.

"I can't believe you just made him ask me out!" She whined, but the corners of her mouth lifted slightly. I shrugged.

"You're too intimidating. He probably would have taken at least a week to work up the nerve." I said, smirking. She groaned, covering her face in her hands before peeking at me through them.

"I kind of want to kill you and kiss you at the same time." She muttered, finally dropping her hands and smiling exuberantly.

I smiled back before scowling at the clock. I groaned, "I've got to go to Bio. See you at lunch." She waved, still in a state of shock. I was hoping for Biology to pass quickly, but my ears perked when I noticed Edward Cullen's name being called by the teacher. Cullen was in my class?_ Excellent. _

I looked around casually, seeing that he wasn't there. Probably still brooding out there somewhere. The smack of a binder on the table next to me caused me to look up into familiar eyes.

"Hi," I smiled winningly, turning to face him. Jasper seemed hesitant, still standing by the chair next to mine.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" I shook my head, inwardly swooning at his accent. I'd forgotten that he had a slight Texan twang.

He sat down slowly, turning to face me in his chair. I subtly perused his body. He wasn't as tall as Cullen, but he still a good four inches on me. Lanky muscle peeked from under his fitted green shirt, and I had to force my eyes not to widen slightly. I raised my eyes to meet his, and he still looked a little upset.

"What?" I finally asked, feeling defensive. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before finally speaking.

"I'm sorry," he blurted out, immediately looking down. I squinted slightly, confused. Jasper was sorry?

"For what?" I asked. He looked at me, irritated.

"You know what. I'm sorry for letting Edward do those bad things to you. I was a little chicken shit and I should have told him to back off. So, I'm sorry." He spoke quickly, like he'd been rehearsing. I smiled, feeling touched.

"It's okay." He looked at me like I was crazy.

I rolled my eyes, "What? I forgive you. Besides, you didn't do the damage yourself."

"Still-" he began. I rolled my eyes again, instinctively raising my hand to press it over his lips.

"Stop." I said sternly. "You are forgiven. Now stop being emo about it, and tell me how your life's been for the last few years. Okay?" He nodded slowly, his eyes searching mine.

With a start, I realized that my fingers were still touching his lips. Withdrawing my hand like it was on a hot burner, I looked towards the tiled floor, trying not to blush. How I found myself in these awkward situations, I'd never know. I looked up to find that he was still looking at me, amusement and something else in his eyes. I looked back, a small smile on my face.

"Your table mate will be your partner for the duration of the year-" The teacher droned on in a nasal tone. I eyed Jasper conspiratorially.

"You okay with that? Or are you gonna abandon me for Cullen?" I playfully puffed out my bottom lip in a mock-pout. He chuckled.

"No offense to Edward, but you're much nicer to look at everyday." He smiled as he said it, but I could hear the sincerity behind his words. I knew he was flirting, but it affected me more than I would've liked. I smiled.

"Then we're partners," he nodded, reaching to flip through the text book. I could see the corner of his lip still smiling slightly. I bit my lip before I followed suit, trying not to look at him.

***

Lunch was awkward at first, but very comfortable. I don't think I've laughed that hard since the Mike Newton incident. It started when I sat down between Rose and Alice, smiling at Jasper and Emmett as I sat down. James waved at me from across the cafeteria, beckoning me over. I pursed my lips and shook my head, before smirking. He laughed, mouthing "Tease" before going back to talking to his friends. Emmett grinned at me before quizzing Rose on what she was going to wear that night, but Jasper held my gaze with a soft smile that made my heartbeat increase slightly.

I looked away, down at the salad I'd just bought. Ugh, a side of Ranch. _Gross._ I set that aside as I stabbed a cucumber slice on my fork, casually listening to Alice reenact to a sweet-looking blond girl what Edward's face had looked like.

"Hey, Bella." A shrill, feminine voice was suddenly in my ear. Before turning around, I noticed Jasper looked very apprehensive and Rose looked furious. Emmett looked like he'd won the lottery, sitting back in anticipation of another show. I turned, meeting the cold blue eyes that I'd been expecting. She smiled patronizingly at me, "Jess said you wanted to talk to me. What?"

I bit my lip and looked down, trying to do my best impression of my old self. "I-I... well, Lauren, I was wondering if I could, um, maybe, hang out with you sometime?" My voice was small and shaking. She smirked as if she'd been expecting as much.

"Maybe. We'll see. I mean, you did clean up nice, but I'm not sure anyone can recover from looking so hideous-" I held up a hand to stop both Rose and Alice from bitching her out.

_Allow me._

"Actually, Lauren." I began in my real voice, assured and calm, "I was kidding. You're still an ugly bitch, and I wouldn't want to associate with the likes of you." I popped the flimsy plastic cover of the ranch container before jolting it upwards. It flew, seemingly in slow motion, and splattered everywhere: in her hair, on her face, and on the front of her pink sweater.

She stood very still, her mouth open as the gooey white dressing dripped down her face and sweater. Narrowing her eyes and emitting an angry shriek, she stomped away to the bathroom, leaving flecks of salad dressing in her wake on the floor. My entire table broke out in laughter, especially Emmett.

"Bella, you're better than reality TV!" He wiped a tear from his eye. I laughed.

"I aim to please," I chuckled before going back to eating my salad.

"So if she got pelted with Ranch, what've you got for me? Italian?" I froze at the sound of the crooning voice behind me. I turned in my chair, my expression blank as I looked at him.

"I don't know, Edward. You tell me what you deserve."

The table fell silent.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Edward's POV**_

Bella Swan. I was so completely fucked. The systematic part of my brain began to kick into overdrive. How could I get back into her good graces? I had to. I had to do something. She'd just humiliated me in front of the entire student body. If I couldn't get her to at least tolerate me, I could kiss my social standing goodbye.

It was enough that Rose and Alice seemed enamored with her… but James? And Jasper? James was displeasing, but Jasper… _Un-acc-fucking-ceptable. _Jasper knew how things worked, and if I couldn't hit that, he certainly wouldn't. I would not let that happen.

_That's an exaggeration… no, not really. _My pride couldn't conceive of that gorgeous girl wanting anyone besides me. She was just angry, but I could work with that. I tilted my head to the side slightly, reminiscing about my past angry fucks with a fond smile. If I could pull it off, she would definitely top the list.

I forced myself to push my conscience aside. I'd treated Swan like shit. Nothing I could do about it now, except grovel to the point where she'd eventually open up to me. Literally. Now, onto saving my place as a certified member of Forks' In Crowd. Even if everyone hadn't witnessed Bella's public thrashing of me, I was sure that every kid at Forks High had heard about it by now. I leaned down, letting my forehead hit the leather steering wheel with a soft thwack. _Showtime. _

I walked in, trying to keep the swagger in my walk even though a few random giggles followed me as I entered the front doors. I ignored them, my eyes zoning in on the cafeteria doors. Before I could open it, they shot open with a bang. I jumped back in surprise, narrowly saving my pretty face from being bruised.

Lauren came through the door, her expression serious, her face and entire front covered in… semen? She paused, squeaking as she caught sight of me. I leaned in a bit and sniffed delicately. I smirked, immediately guessing.

"Ranch?" I inquired, laughing openly at her. She scowled at me before dashing past, presumably to clean up in the bathroom. I shook my head, opening the doors and surveying the scene around me.

The most popular table- _my _table- was openly alternating between praising Bella, smiling at her, and laughing with her. I gulped, still not truly believing that _that _was her. She sat, perched delicately in the chair between Alice and Rosalie. _Cockblockers extraordinaire. _

My eyes scanned the table, not missing the look Jasper was shooting her. I started to walk faster at that- it was his "I'm a vulnerable, enamored puppy" face, and I'd only seen it out in full-force on one other occasion.

I came up from behind her, watching her eat. _Is this creepy? Just a little. _

Jasper saw me first. He made eye contact before looking away from me quickly. Too quickly. Ugh, we were going to have to have a talk about this one. I couldn't outright forbid him from going after Swan. I'd seen enough melodramatic teen soap operas to know that that would make him want her more. I'd have to think of another strategy. Later. I had more important things to do at the moment.

I asked her what I deserved. As the words tumbled from my mouth, I immediately regretted them. _Probably should have stayed aloof and silent as opposed to looking like a huge jackass… again!_

She was quiet for a moment, and I tried to disregard the death glares that Rosalie and Alice were sending towards me. Angela looked concerned, Jasper was looking away- _pussy_- and Emmett was beaming.

Then, without even looking at me, she threw my question right back in my face. I stood there, stunned. The rest of the table seemed to be waiting for my reply, as well. I took a cursory look around the cafeteria and almost cursed- the entire room had fallen silent. I took a deep breath as she slowly turned to face me. Her perfect lips in a pout and her eyes serious.

"I deserve whatever you throw at me." I said simply. Rose and Alice rolled their eyes as the chatter in the cafeteria began buzzing again.

Bella scoffed, "You do, huh? You've got some nerve, Cullen. I don't want to throw anything at you. I'm not concerned about you, and my life- unlike so many of your minions at this school- doesn't revolve around you. Get the fuck over yourself, and do me a favor. Just pretend I don't exist." She turned back around, effectively dismissing me.

I grabbed a chair from the next table over (Yorkie dropped his fork in shock that I came so close) and pulled it between her and Alice. Alice shied away, probably keen to avoid the upcoming explosion.

"I can't. You're here, these are my friends. Maybe you should grow up and get over what happened-" her eyes widened in anger, and I immediately verbally retreated, "-or if I'm that insignificant to you, it couldn't have mattered that much."

She huffed, clenching her pretty little fists under the table. I reached and touched her shoulder. She harshly jerked my hand off, getting so close to my face that I was an inch from kissing her.

"Listen, you little shit. You were horrible to me, and it seems like you're still the same cocky little bastard who thought he could treat people like they're trash." She breathed in short little puffs against my face, "You haven't changed. I won't rock the boat. You can still hang out with your friends, whatever. But don't interact with me, don't speak to me, don't even look at me. You're nothing, and you sure as hell don't deserve one more moment of my time." She spoke clearly, irritation creeping into her voice. I sat still, dumbfounded as she abruptly stood up.

"Bella, don't go." Alice protested at the same time Rosalie started bitching me out. I ignored Rosalie's screeching as a new figure came up from behind Bella. My expression darkened.

Fucking James.

"You alright?" he asked, brushing his fingers lightly across her cheek.

I waited for her to slap him, for the raging hell-bitch I just encountered to eat him up and spit him out. Instead she just smiled slightly, leaning into his touch while nodding.

"Yeah, thanks." She said, her voice light and smooth, a complete 180 from the sound of her raspy death-to-Cullen speech from just moments before. She didn't even look at me as she walked away with him. Again. Maybe James was a bigger threat than I'd guessed. As the doors swung after them, I braced myself for the angry estrogen attack.

"You STUPID dick, Edward! What the _fuck_? You couldn't leave her alone for a whole day? Idiot!" Rosalie bitched, flipping her bleached strands with one hand as the other pointed at me. I looked to Emmett for support, but he was gazing at Rosalie with wonder. Asshole was getting off on her verbally beating me. Wonderful.

"Edward, what is wrong with you? Did you just come here to screw with her?" Alice's rant hurt more because she wasn't merely bitching- she looked disappointed. "Why?"

"I figured I had to break the tension somehow," I shrugged. Rosalie's eyes bugged out and Alice's face fell to her hands in frustration.

"Edward, you didn't even apologize." She said, looking at me like I was a child.

I opened my mouth to protest before promptly closing it. _Well… fuck._ I'd been so distracted in engaging Swan in conversation that I'd forgot the basic first tool to any reconciliation (and eventual hookup): an apology. I groaned.

"I… I meant to." I said weakly, pleading with Alice for leniency. She sighed.

"Well, do it. But not today. If she sees you again before tomorrow, I think she may just kill you." She smiled slightly, but still looked genuinely concerned for my wellbeing.

Rosalie nodded in agreement. "I would help," she added nastily, sipping at her diet Coke.

"Dude…" Emmett finally tore his eyes away from Rosalie long enough to spare me an amused glance, "You-"

"Don't say it," I groaned.

He smiled wider before continuing, "Got. Owned. Again." His throaty chuckles annoyed me to no end, plus the fact that it looked as if he and Rosalie were officially on as of now.

I turned to look at Jasper, surprised that he hadn't said anything this entire time. He had his eyes trained on the faux-wood grain of our table, his fork listlessly scraping against his tray.

This was not good. An emo Jasper was a step away from grand-romantic-gesture Jasper. He'd once pulled a Cusack and rocked out with a boombox outside of Maria's window when he wanted her to go on a single date with him. Sure that was freshman year, but I knew the signs.

Distraction was the key. "So, Jazz." I casually started. He looked up, curiosity on his face. Did he think I was going to call him out on his obvious worship of Bella? Please, I had more subtlety than that. _Usually. _"Do you want to go to the Bronze after school? I heard a new band's playing. Indie rock brings the best chicks." I gave him my best rogueish grin, which he reluctantly returned much slower than I would have liked. I had to get this boy both laid and distracted, pronto.

I wanted Bella Swan all to myself.

_**Bella's POV**_

"You sure you're okay?" James asked, placing a casual arm over my shoulders as we walked the nearly-empty halls. I shrugged.

"Yeah." He looked skeptical, and I laughed slightly, "Still pissed, but what can I do? He's a jerk and I have to go to school with him. I'll survive." James nodded.

"Did you see the look on his face when he saw me come up?" He continued gleefully, "He looked like he wanted to punch me."

I sighed, "Only you would be happy about that." I smirked at him, "Plus, what does he have to be jealous of?" James lowered his head to look at me, blue eyes twinkling.

"We could give him something to be jealous about." He said slowly, as if just now thinking of it, "Hmm, in fact, I am positive we could." We paused in front of my locker. He waited as I fiddled with the combination, "You game?"

"Nope!" I said cheerily, ignoring James' aghast expression. I smiled playfully, "Well, maybe a little. I mean, if I give too much up, you'll start to avoid me like the plague. Ghost of hook-ups past." I gestured to a redhead who'd just walked by, throwing us both dirty looks. He sighed.

"I'm misunderstood. Plus, those girls wanted to own me. You don't want that, right?"

I nodded with a wry smile as I put a book in my backpack, "Right."

"So…" he continued, "I just think we should hang out. Whatever happens, happens?" He reached for my hand, bringing it up to his lips for a theatrical smacking kiss.

"Maybe," I compromised, rolling my eyes at his smug expression. "I said _maybe_. And contrary to popular belief, I'm not a ho." I purposefully raked my eyes up and down his body, "Unlike some people." He laughed.

"I'm not a ho." I quirked an eyebrow, calling him on the bullshit. "Okay, well I am, but not right now. Plus I'm nowhere near Edward and Jasper's caliber of slut." I almost dropped my bag. Edward, I'd been expecting, but Jasper?

"So Jasper's a ho?" I tried not to sound too interested. James' teasing smile told me that I failed. _Fucker_.

"Yeah… He always gets Cullens' sloppy seconds, though." James sounded disgusted, and I was inclined to agree.

"But baby…" I began in a mock-whiny tone as we walked towards the gym, "If I had you, I'd be having, what? Forks High's sloppy…. Fiftieths? Hundredths?"

He laughed, "Not quite."

I nodded somberly before my smile betrayed me, "Higher or lower?"

He groaned as I elbowed his side, giggling. "Alright, I'm going to gym." I muttered unhappily. Unless there was a dance unit, gym was going to completely blow. James nodded.

"Want to go out tonight? I need to show you more of Forks' sites."

I scoffed, "You mean the diner wasn't all there is to see?"

He smiled, "Bella, there are at least four more places we could go." I laughed as I walked towards the locker rooms.

"Alright, sounds good. I'll see you later tonight."

He called out, "See ya!" Before cheerfully bounding away from me, whistling.

"You're not gonna get lucky tonight!" I shouted after him, wanting to burst the egotistical bubble. I heard his laughter echo in the halls as I walked into the locker room, smiling as I went.

_**Jasper's POV**_

_I do not have a crush on Bella Swan._

_I do not have a crush on Bella Swan._

_I have a crush on Bella Swan- fuck!_

My inner-hypnotist failed to make me believe what I knew wasn't true. Just talking with Bella in Biology had captivated me. I was surprised and gratified that she'd accepted my apology so readily. The way she looked at me… the way I couldn't stop looking at her… it was strange and unfamiliar. I'd been attracted to plenty of girls. I'd felt lust and longing, but this was ridiculous.

"_It's because she's unattainable!_" My brain reasoned. _I hope so._

It certainly was sobering to see not only Edward but also James fawn all over her. Except James was smart about it, like he always is; friendly yet cocky with a little dash of vulnerability. Edward just insulted her and pissed her off.

I wanted her, I knew that much. And Edward could see it. After she left at lunch, he'd ambushed me with plans to go chick-hunting at a concert. I agreed but mentally scoffed. How stupid did he think I was? Stupid enough to think I'd mindlessly bang a few girls while letting him chase after Bella.

I'd resented Edward plenty of times before for being such a ladies' man… for getting everything he wanted. I'd resented him, but I understood: it was just the way things worked, and everything went smoothly.

But I wanted Bella. I didn't want Edward-rejected Bella. I wanted Bella. It was a strange sensation, to have a crush. I hadn't felt emotionally attracted to a girl's mind since freshman year. Her looks were what drew me in, but her spark and kindness made me want her more. She immediately forgave the years of my cowardly behavior without a second thought.

Was pursuing her worth it, though? Edward and I had been through a lot together, and he was my best friend. I walked to my bike as the final bell rang, still debating in my head. "Bro's before hoes…" I muttered, reaching in my back pocket for the key to my bike.

"I always thought that was a stupid saying." I looked up abruptly, almost dropping my key. There she stood, alone and leaning against Rosalie's red convertible. She smiled at me, brushing a light strand of hair out of her eyes. I recovered quickly before smiling back hesitantly.

"Hi," she greeted, eyeing my bike with appreciation, "She's a beauty."

"Thanks." I murmured awkwardly, pausing next to her, "What're you doing here?"

She laughed, "Waiting for Rose and Alice. And I'm pretty sure Rose and Emmett are getting busy in the janitor's closet, so… it'll probably be a while." I nodded, taking my helmet out of my bag.

"So, James is taking me out tonight." I flinched, and she quickly amended it, "Not as a date. Anyway, where should we go?" I took a moment to consider before my inner light bulb lit up. _Ding_.

"The Bronze is a cool place. Relaxed, and I know the owner so you can actually drink there without a fake ID." She smiled up at me as I continued, "I'll be there. But just so you know, Edward will, too." Her face crumpled into the cutest scowl.

"Fine, but if I do go, I want your undivided attention." She said with a cheeky smile. "Let Cullen whore around, I want you all to myself." I ran out of words to say, so I settled for grinning like an idiot.

"You want Jazz all to yourself?" Alice's high voice came from behind us, amused. Bella nodded unabashedly but looked a little embarrassed.

"Who wouldn't?" she murmured, too low for Alice to hear.

I almost blushed.

"Rose said to go on without her. I'll swing by later to pick her up. I'll drive you home." Alice said, jingling the keys. Bella nodded and climbed into the passenger seat as Alice started the car.

"See ya tonight," she said with a small wave. I smiled back, watching the car as they backed out of the space and drove away.

I climbed on my bike, starting it with a satisfying roar.

_**Edward's POV**_

I left the school grounds around a little past five, just after practice ended. As I walked towards the Volvo, my mind was spinning with plans. Step 1: Get Jasper to the Bronze. Step 2: Ditch Jasper and find Bella. Step 3: Woo Bella. My thoughts were interrupted by an annoyingly familiar voice next to me.

"Hey, Cullen." James appeared by my side with a smile. I frowned.

"What?" I asked, hoping to get to the point.

"What?" he mimicked me. "Just came to say hi. I got out of soccer practice a little early, and you looked lonely." I rolled my eyes, "Fine, if you don't want to talk, that's cool. I've got to go get ready for an outing tonight anyway."

He caught my attention with that. He was dangling something, trying to get me to guess what it was. I took the bait, "Outing?" He smiled.

"Yeah, I'm taking Bella out." He said triumphantly. I clenched one fist, restraining the need to punch him. That certainly fucked with my plans… unless…

"Where're you going?" I inquired casually. He gave me a knowing smirk.

"Not sure yet." He punched my shoulder lightly, "But you have a good night, Cullen!"

"You know you've got competition!" I called after him, annoyed at his confidence. He laughed and answered me without even turning around.

"Yeah, I do, but you're not it." He climbed into his car and drove off, squealing the tires just to irritate me. I let out an angry, ragged breath as I took in this new piece of information.

_If I'm not competition, who is?_


	6. Chapter 6

**James' POV**

I glanced into the mirror, brushing my hands through my short hair. _I wish it wasn't so short… maybe I could fuck with it, muss it around a little._ I stopped abruptly, glaring at myself in the mirror. _Fuuuck. _My desire to get closer to Bella was definitely screwing with my brain. I'd noticed how Jasper looked at her… and how she looked at him. I had to force myself to maintain my cool when she refused to sit with me at lunch. She'd already met Alice and Rosalie, which made me uneasy. Although I was on friendly terms with both, they definitely ran with a different clique. And I wanted Bella to be part of mine, not theirs.

I wasn't exactly sure what I was doing. I couldn't treat her the way I usually did my conquests. For one, she lived next door, so I knew that she could fuck my life up on a daily basis if I pissed her off; but more importantly, I didn't_ want _to piss her off. It was one thing to pull a dine-and-dash with girls like Victoria. She was a slut, stupid, and shallow. _My perfect combo._ But Bella was different. I'd found myself laughing with her and just wanting to be around her. She didn't take herself too seriously. And another shining check in her "Yes" column: she hated Cullen.

Sure, I noticed her body. She was completely hot, from her doe eyes to her obscenely long legs, her curved calves. But it was her personality that drew me in. I just… liked it. She was fun to talk to, and not afraid to put anyone in their place.

It troubled me that she seemed to like Jasper. Not just like him, but _like_ him. _She's probably just trying to screw with Cullen… yeah, that's it._ How could I bitch over Bella wanting Hale? I didn't even know what I wanted from her. It sure as hell wasn't a relationship... but that _body. Enough thinking. _

I took a cursory look in the mirror, shrugging before pulling on a black shirt. Tight enough to feature the six pack, loose enough to not look gay. I grabbed my wallet before skidding down the stairs towards the door.

_So… close…_

"Honey, where are you going?"

_Fucketty fuck. _"I'm hanging out with Bella, Mom." She came from around the corner, a sly smile on her lips.

"So that means Charlie will be all by his lonesome tonight?" she asked, grinning at me.

_Damn it, I'm your son. Find someone else to talk to about your lusty fantasies. _I guess it was the pitfall of being the only son of a single mother who was fifteen when she had me. Well, that and almost every dude at school trying to go all Stacy's mom on me. She casually tossed her long, strawberry-blond hair behind her shoulders, most likely already considering some ridiculous seduction plan. She'd been hinting to Charlie that she was interested for years. Any other man would've grown suspicious at our regular dinners, but Charlie was particularly dense.

"Don't look at me that way." She squinted her eyes before quickly resuming her normal passive expression. She'd been extra vigilant lately with the botox… she couldn't really look happy or sad for more than two seconds or so.

I sighed, "Can't you leave Charlie alone?" She just laughed.

"You've never cared before," she paused before her metaphorical light-bulb turned on. "Ooh, you don't want Bella as a sister? Don't be a naughty boy, James. Plus, when Charlie and I get married, you'll live together! You might even share a room." She raised an eyebrow before giggling and darting into the kitchen. I groaned. _Delusional bitch._

I bounded out of the door, sighing in relief at the sight in front of me. _Ah. _She changed out of the little ensemble from earlier and was wearing dark, tight jeans and a lacey pink tank top as only she could. Worn converse sneakers replaced her killer heels from earlier. I smiled as she strolled towards me.

"How long have you been waiting outside?" I asked, matching her stride as I walked towards her. She shrugged with a cute little grin.

"I got bored."

I nodded, gesturing to my car. "Shall we go?" I asked formally, and she laughed. Passing by me, she affectionately smacked my chest. I scowled as she let herself in. _I wanted to open her door for her._

**Bella's POV**

I peered around as we walked into the dark club. There were enough lights around to see, but not to make out specific details too far away. There was a dance floor and a stage for the band, plus a balcony level where several airheads were already grinding on some guys, all wearing dopey grins. James noticed the direction of my gaze and chuckled.

"You wanna join them?" he asked, sounding half-serious. I hoped he was joking.

"Nah." I said, pretending to consider it, "I don't do… _that _on school nights." I gestured towards one blond who was vibrating to the point where she may well have been experiencing a seizure. He smirked, looking up at her in disgust.

"I see what you mean." He murmured, getting a little closer. I almost audibly gulped. He put a hand around my waist, and I knew this couldn't happen tonight. Not when I told Jasper that this wasn't a date. Trying to think of a delicate way to cool James down, I spied my savior. She was scowling as she barreled towards us from the balcony stairways. I leaned up to James' face, my lips moving against the shell of his ear, "I think one of your ladies wants to talk." He pulled back, a puzzled look on his face. I gestured to the incoming redhead missile. His eyes widened and he immediately took a step back.

"Ah ah ah…" I tutted, pushing him towards her, "I think you've got a date with karma." I spied Alice across the club and waved frantically, "I'll catch up with you later." He caught my arm as I moved towards her, drawing me sharply against my body. I gasped, more than a little turned on at the macho display.

"I will get you for this," he promised, his voice low. I recovered quickly, a flirty smile replacing my flabbergasted expression.

"I'm counting on it." I said with a final wink as the redhead closed in on him. With a wave, I made my escape towards Alice.

**James' POV**

"You motherfucker. Who is that? The new girl? What was I, just a phase? You dick! You inconsiderate, fucked up little momma's boy dickface!" Victoria screeched at me as I watched Bella's sexy ass sashay away from me.

I rolled my eyes. "Vicky, you and I both knew what was going on." She gaped, her mouth popping open like a fish. Not particularly attractive. I looked around, scowling as I saw Bella chatting up Jasper. _Great. Guess I'll have to take my turn later. _"Now the question is: I have some free time, would you like to step outside with me?"

Her angry look vanished. She grinned shyly. "Okay."

_God bless shallow, bat-crazy women._

**Jasper's POV**

"Dude, I saw this chick who looks like Maria by the bar drinking a cosmo. Three more and you gotta go over there." Edward babbled on in my ear. Halfway insulted for thinking I could only score when the chick was hammered and half amused at his desperate attempts to distract me, I gave him a smirk before re-focusing my attention on the door. She was coming, she said she would.

"Edward, I'm thirsty. Can you grab a sex on the beach for me?" Alice asked, batting her doe eyes. Edward scowled before complying. I turned to Alice with a grateful smile.

"Thanks," I said, meaning it. Cullen had been a pest all night. She shrugged.

"He's being so annoying tonight. I've never seen him try this hard to get someone else laid." She said with a wry smile. I narrowed my eyes slightly. _Does she know what's going on? _I was about to ask when Alice's face broke into a bright smile, her eyes near the door. I whirled around, watching Bella approach. Alone. She had a naughty little smile on her lips, and I chanced a look behind her long enough to see James being verbally bitch slapped by Victoria.

"Hi," she stated simply before plopping down on the couch next to me.

Alice grinned and gestured to the bar, and Bella rolled her eyes when she turned and saw Edward heading our way. He stopped as he noticed her, his gaze moving from her to me quickly before he frowned. He handed Alice her drink and sat next to her, just watching us with a pissed-off, brooding expression.

Bella blatantly ignored him, leaning back on the couch and resting her head on my lap. _For the love of everything fucking Holy, do not salute. _"Jazz…" she began, her tone casual, as if she wasn't two layers away from my dick. "Did we have bio homework? I can't remember." She scrunched up her face in thought as her left hand began to toy with the cotton of my sleeve.

"Uh… some reading, I think. It's on the syllabus." I choked out, just looking down and watching her. Her hair was fanned out over my lap. In the mood-lighting of the club, it looked darker, a contrast to my light khakis. She raised her eyes to meet mine, and I couldn't look away. She graced me with a small smile.

"She's in our bio class?" Edward's petulant voice interrupted the moment. I rolled my eyes, looking over at him.

"Yeah, she is. You'd know if you'd shown up." He scowled.

"I was busy," he almost growled.

I tried (and failed) to keep from rolling my eyes again. I heard Bella snort from my lap and looked down to find her head turned slightly towards Edward.

"Eddie, why don't you find some nice skank to cheer you up?" she asked conversationally. She didn't sound bitter or pissed at all- a drastic change from this afternoon. He looked stricken by the mere fact that she'd spoken to him without hissing.

"She's got a point, Edward." Alice said with a grin, slapping Edward's knee affectionately, "Because you being all bitchy… it's _really_ killing my buzz."

"Why not hit up that girl at the bar? She must've downed a few more cosmos by now." I joined in, taking a bit too much pleasure in the angry look on his face. He was surrounded. He'd find a way to get back at me for this later, but it was so worth it.

"Fuck you all," he seethed, stomping back towards the bar, most likely to regroup. Alice sighed and Bella giggled.

"Ooh." She said softly as the band started a new song, "I love this. Can we dance?" I cleared my throat.

"Sure." She sat up and quickly stood, extending a petite hand out to me. I took it, leading her to the dance floor. Alice gave me a series of thumbs ups behind Bella's back. My eyes widened in alarm, shaking my head at her to get her to stop. I turned back to Bella as we ended up smack dab in the middle of the dance floor, surrounded by jumping metal heads and head banging emo kids. I hesitantly drew her closer, but she took the lead. She wound her arms around my neck, tucking her face into the alcove between my shoulder and neck. I could feel her calm, warm breath on my neck.

I tightened my hold around her waist. I leaned down ever so slightly. _Don't sniff her hair, you'll look creepy. Don't. Fucking don't sniff it! _My mind groaned in disgust as I couldn't resist taking a whiff of her hair. It smelled floral and minty. _My God, just hand your balls in at the door, you are turning into a chick. _We swayed slowly to the punk rock music. It was weird, and we were definitely getting annoyed looks, but it was also wonderful.

**Edward's POV**

_Unbelievable._ This wasn't the way it was supposed to be. Bella curled around Jasper on the dance floor, Alice smirking at my expense, and me alone at the bar. Edward Cullen was never alone unless he wanted to be. Yet here I was, knocking back shots and scowling at any brave slut who dared to look my way. I didn't want them. I wanted her.

She'd treated me almost civilly earlier. Of course she brushed me off, but at least she didn't bitch or scream. This had to be a step in the right direction. _She's playing hard to get. _She had to be. I mean, I knew that Jasper was a good looking dude, in an objective sense. But he had nothing on me. She must see that, which could only lead to the conclusion that she was using Jasper to make me jealous. _And it's working, you stupid fuck. _I was better than this.

"Stop it, Edward." Alice's trilling voice rang from next to me.

I grunted, "Stop what? And why are you here? Isn't there carpet that needs munching somewhere?"

She hopped up on the stool next to mine. I was impressed she didn't have to get a running start. "Angela had to study, fuck you very much. And stop brooding. You don't look sexy or mysterious. You look constipated."

"Whatever, Alice. She's obviously trying to make me jealous." I jerked my shoulder toward the dance floor, where they were now just gazing into each other's eyes. _Oh, please. _

"Mr. Cullen, I know it may shock you to hear this, but not everything's about you." Alice said patronizingly, patting my shoulder. I rolled my eyes.

"I know that, but this is. C'mon, don't even try to tell me this is a coincidence."

"You don't want her. Why does it matter? Why can't Jazz be happy?" She asked innocently. I gave up on trying to have a decent conversation with her. She was on pussy vengeance patrol- who knew what Bella had asked her to say. The stool to my right squeaked against the rough tile as someone perched upon it.

"What about Jasper and Bella?"

_Oh, fuck no. _Obviously this night could get worse.

"Go away, Collich." I moaned into one hand, covering my eyes in frustration.

"Hello James." Alice chirped, "Edward, stop being melodramatic." I flipped her off with my free hand. "We were just talking about Jasper and Bella." She nodded towards the couple on the dance floor. I chanced a look at James, who looked pissed. His jaw ticked slightly. I felt a sick sort of bond with him. We shared a look that was pure: _Him?!_

"Eh, let her have her fun with him. I'm the one with next-door access." He said, obviously trying to regain some confidence. I noticed the whorish peach lipstick stains that littered his neck. _Ew, Victoria? It's your funeral, dude._

I scoffed, "That is such bullshit. You're just as hopeless as I am."

He grinned at me, "I am, huh? Well, I've already had the pleasure of kissing Miss Swan." I gaped at him, and Alice sighed. I turned on her, a plan concocting in my head.

"Does Jasper know that Bella's been… intimate… with this fuckhead?" Alice frowned at my opportunistic tone.

"I don't know, and shut up, Edward. A kiss isn't the same as sex, except maybe to you two losers." She anticipated my next move and flounced over to Bella and Jasper. She always had to ruin my plans. If Jasper knew Bella was more than friendly with James, maybe he'd realize that she's just trying to fuck her way towards me.

**Bella's POV**

I couldn't get enough of him. His voice was so low and serene, and his accent would emerge on the most random words. He told me stories and whispered in my ear as we danced. I would occasionally pull back just to look at him. His eyes looked different depending on which strobe light was on him. Grey or blue. I saw Alice come right for us and groaned, not wanting any interruption.

"We bein' invaded?" he asked softly, tickling my ear. I laughed briefly, trying to surreptitiously smell him again. Sandalwood and soap… it was a welcome change from the Axe bath that most guys our age smelled like.

"Yeah." I muttered, frowning into his shoulder as Alice approached.

"Sorry to interrupt, but Edward might try to make you think Bella is James' mistress. He's full of shit. Just FYI." I looked up long enough to see her blow us a kiss before she took off again. I stiffened, inwardly cursing James.

"Why would Edward say that?" Jasper asked calmly from above me. I tentatively faced him again, a small frown on my face.

"I may have kissed James. Once!" I scowled, "And I obviously won't be doing it again."

"Ah," he said, continuing to sway with me.

"Wanna get out of here?" I asked suddenly. _What are you doing? Abort, abort! Slut slut slut!_

His eyes raked over me slowly. "Okay." Taking my hand, he pulled me across the dance floor and to the door. We passed James, who looked apologetic, Edward, who looked furious, and Alice, who was pantomiming sex by sticking her index finger through the hole that she made with her other hand.

As the cool night air enveloped us, I shivered slightly. He immediately shrugged off his dark brown leather jacket and put it around my shoulders. _Swoon. _

I climbed up on the back of his bike, gripping around his waist. "Ready to go, baby girl?" He asked playfully. I nodded against his back, and we took off towards my house.

**Jasper's POV**

As I cut the engine, I turned around to help her off of the bike. Her hair was wild and tangled around her face. My jacket hung loosely around her shoulders, a contrast to her tight pink top. She was biting her lip, looking from me to the door. I swallowed, watching her.

"I, um…" She seemed flustered. She reached to take off the coat as we walked together towards her front door. I placed my hand gently on hers to stop her.

"Keep it. Give it back at school." She nodded with a smile, and my hand stayed on hers. She looked up at me, desire and something else in her eyes. She leaned up against the front door, clasping my hands in hers and drawing me to her. I helplessly tripped forward, pinning her to the door. She smirked up and me and I mirrored her expression, leaning down until I felt her breath against my lips. As I leaned in, the door burst open. Bella, eyes wide with shock, fell in towards the door. I reached and caught her around her waist, bringing her flush with my body. We turned together to see who'd opened the door.

Ms. Collich, decked out in a bright purple lingerie ensemble, stared at us. She giggled. "Oops, Bella, I didn't think you'd be home so soon."

Chief Swan thumped downstairs, clad only in some boxers. "Tanya, did you get the-" He cut off, gaping in shock at the sight in front of him.

"Dad?" Bella whispered, disgusted. Chief Swan turned bright red before retreating back up the stairs. Tanya cooed, following him.

"It's alright baby, she'll understand…"

I turned to Bella, who was still frozen. "So…" I didn't know quite what to say. I mean, who would?

"Jasper, I need to get out of here. Can we go to your place?" I numbly nodded as she led me back to my bike. I was taking a girl home. I was taking Bella Swan home.

_Edward's gonna kill me. And I don't even care._


	7. Chapter 7

**Bella's POV**

That was definitely a site that my eyes never wanted to see. My dad and Skankalicious Barbie. And her timing! _I know Jasper was about to kiss me_… I had to shake my head to rid myself of the imagery. It's not like I never expected Charlie to date, but I don't think anyone would have expected that pairing.

"So, this might make school weird, huh?" Jasper said. I squinted at him in confusion as he helped me hop off the bike.

"How?"

"Well, your dad and Tanya. That's all sorts of weird, considering you and James…" he grinned at me.

"What does James have to do-" I cut off. _Oh, fuck me._ "That's… his mom?" I choked out.

"Yup." He popped the "P", walking with me towards the front door, "And I happen to know that Tanya's going to want marriage someday. She's been eyeing Charlie for years. Didn't know they were together though, or I would've warned you."

"Married?" I felt lightheaded. He nodded.

"Bella… have you ever read 'Flowers in the Attic'?" He raised his light eyebrows playfully. I scowled at him, but couldn't help but snort at the absurdity.

"Shut the fuck up. Even if they do get married, and that's a big if, James isn't my biological brother."

"Still, the role-playing opportunities…" he continued teasing me. I elbowed him in the side as I took a real look around the house he had led me to. It was huge. The entry hall had thick indoor pillars, and I couldn't even see up to where the staircase led. He caught my offending arm and quickly snaked his fingers through mine. I smiled at him.

"Smooth." I teased, holding up our joined hands. He shrugged, leading me down what seemed to be one of many hallways.

"Kitchen," he nodded towards a gigantic, shining room almost the size of my entire ground floor at home. Modern appliances were gleaming on every surface. I gaped as he continued to pull me through the hallway to another adjoining room. "Living room." He muttered, allowing me to glance into the warm room with gigantic leather sofas before tugging on my arm once more. I stumbled behind him, laughing.

"Hale, your tour-guiding skills could use improvement," I said, obnoxious but not caring. He was showing me his house like it was some sort of race. _Is he nervous?_ I planted my feet to the marble floor, causing him to turn his head in question.

"Where are we going?" I asked playfully. He said nothing, but traced his thumb over my hand in a slow circle. His house was still dark, and his eyes looked a deeper blue in this light.

I breathed in a ragged breath, my breath coming quicker at the look he was giving me. Fuck. I had no idea what I was doing. Sure, I was attracted to Jasper, but I also wanted to piss Edward off. _It isn't fair to Jasper…_ my mind whispered. _Yeah, but Jasper is a teenage boy. As far as you know, he just wants your body. Don't feel guilty until you know otherwise. _

What did I want? I sure as hell didn't know. I was all for irritating Cullen. The bastard had hurt me so badly that he deserved anything I threw at him. But playing with Jasper felt different. I was so at ease around guys like James. I was my usual, confident self. But around Jasper that façade seemed to crumble. Did he notice? The slightest touch seemed to set off such strong reactions. It was ridiculous.

True, Rosalie and Alice had suggested cozying up to Jasper. It would be a blow to Edward's ego, for sure. Tonight was evidence of that. But what about how I felt? I liked him. He apologized for being Edward's lapdog when we were kids, but I also liked his personality. He was so chill about everything. So laid back. I admired it.

He made me feel… things. I was familiar with the pangs of desire, but Jasper evoked new feelings that I didn't even want to try to name. There was a dash of camaraderie and friendship, just like what made me adore Laurent. But Jasper made me nervous, which I didn't like. Nervous Bella was stumbling, bumbling Bella. The Bella that had been tortured by Cullen. The Bella who let anyone and everyone walk all over her. The Bella that I swore would never surface again.

Jasper started to lead me upstairs, and I bit my lip to keep from sighing. _It's been a day since you got back, and he's trying to get you in his bed. _Disappointment flooded me, and I wondered why. It wasn't unusual for boys to try to bed a girl they're attracted to. I thought he'd be different. I ignored the bit of sadness that threatened to ruin this night for me. How silly for me to think that Jasper wanted more than a quick fuck. _He's probably just thrilled that he'll beat Edward at something. _

Well, was I ever a hypocrite. What was _I_ doing? I probably wouldn't even be here if it weren't for Jasper's relationship with Edward. I guess it worked out. Jasper was trying to use me, just like any other boy. Which made this safe, familiar territory. After all, he wasn't the only one with ulterior motives. Imagining the look on Cullen's face if he found out I'd fooled around with Jasper made me feel ridiculously smug. _Still… if Jasper does like you, you're just as bad as Edward._

The thought echoed in my head and I almost tripped on the last stair. Jasper turned around, a questioning look in his eyes. I shrugged and granted him a small smile, and he grinned before turning around, presumably leading toward his room. Well, I'd find out, wouldn't I? If Jasper was a normal guy, he'd have his fun and go on his merry way. If he wanted more, like… a relationship more, then it was time to reconsider.

_Would having a boyfriend like him be so bad?_

I almost started shaking at the thought as he led me down the upstairs hallway. I'd never had a boyfriend. Not a real one. I'd had crushes, infatuations, flings, but no romantic relationships. I'd never wanted one, mostly because I'd never encountered a guy that would be worth the effort. Too lost in my thoughts, I almost collided with the doorframe as Jasper led me into a room. He flicked on the lights, and I admired the warm, honey-colored walls. It was his room; it had to be. It was simple and sparsely decorated with a huge bed, and old vinyl record-covers lining the wall.

"So… home sweet home." He declared, letting go of my hand to sit on the edge of his bed. I nodded tersely, trying to force myself to relax. I moved to sit next to him on the bed. His mouth opened slightly, as if he was surprised. I suppressed a smile. _A master seducing artist wouldn't do that. Or he's an exceptional actor. _I wanted to see what he would do. If he would make the first move.

"Where are your parents?" I asked casually, admiring the album covers as I leaned back with my elbows propping me up. Blondie, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles. _He's too perfect. There has to be something wrong with him. _

…_Besides being Cullen's friend._

He cleared his throat, "My mom's almost always out of town. I'm usually here alone." I tilted my head towards him.

**Jasper's POV**

She looked so right there. In my room. In my bed. I'd debated on whether to take her up here. Whenever I had "company", I always kept everything limited to the living room downstairs. My room was my sanctuary, and I didn't like the idea of the airheads I usually bring home leaving anything behind in my room. Not even their scent.

Bella was obviously put on this earth to break every rule that I made for myself.

After I told her about my mom, I expected one of two responses I get every time I share that piece of information. One being pity- "I'm so sorry, that must be lonely", and two being awe- "I wish I could get the fuck away from my parents, you're so lucky." She gave me neither, just a small smile as she tilted her face a little towards mine.

I'd wanted to kiss her so badly back at her house, but I was afraid to. I wasn't stupid. I knew that she probably wanted to get under Edward's skin, and I was the perfect way to do that. But there was a way she looked at me, like in class. Like she let her real personality show, just a little and just for me. I knew that she was a strong woman now, but her blushes and little imperfections drew me to her like a moth to a flame.

Of course I wanted her… who wouldn't? But I hadn't brought her up here for sex. I'd wanted her to see my room. To see me.

She may have fooled the rest of the school, but I still remembered her as she was. Alone, scared and isolated. There was no way she'd fully recovered from it, and I still felt responsible. I had let Edward be a little prick because I didn't want to rock the boat. So if she was using me, I'd let her. I just knew I wanted to get to know her and be around her. She intrigued me like no other girl ever did. I didn't want her to go away, and I wasn't sure what would happen if I gave into my instincts and slept with her. Would she wipe her hands of me? Mission accomplished, Edward's pissed? The thought made my breath catch in my throat.

I'd never grown attached to a girl in that way. To miss her when she was gone. I'd been depressed when the Maria fiasco ended, but felt nothing near the slice of anger and pain that came up just thinking about Bella wanting nothing to do with me.

Overwhelmed, I glanced down to find her face a little closer to mind. She was eyeing me with curiosity and what looked to be a small amount of confusion. I must've looked like an idiot, close enough to kiss her but looking out into space. Before I could restrain myself, I quickly closed the gap and pressed my lips to hers.

No cliché's did it justice. My body was buzzing with lust as soon as her lips moved against mine. She was kissing me gently. Letting me set the pace. She tasted wonderful, like nothing else I'd ever encountered. Mint and honey. I trailed my tongue lightly on her bottom lip, unable to resist another taste. I couldn't suppress a guttural moan when she licked me softly, her tongue entwining against mine. Before I'd even realized it, I had one arm wrapped around her waist and I rolled on top of her, propping myself up on one arm as I kissed her breathless.

I was familiar with lust. I wasn't familiar with this pure, unfiltered _need_.

Her small hands moved from my face to the nape of my neck, twisting my hair roughly in her fingers. I moaned into her mouth, keeping one hand at her waist and allowing the other to trail under her shirt. She shuddered as my hand traced up her bare stomach, pausing at her navel before reaching to lightly palm one breast. She "mmm'd" into my mouth, bucking slightly against me as she moved one hand down my arm, scratching lightly.

"Hope I'm not interrupting."

Bella growled in displeasure and my eyes opened as I turned at the intrusion. Edward Cullen, standing in the doorway. Smirking and trying to look fucking aloof. Too bad I knew him so well. I could see the anger and resentment as his jaw ticked.

"Actually, you are." I muttered, looking down at Bella. She just rolled her eyes before getting up. She straightened out her shirt and stood up, all without one look at Edward.

"Bathroom?" she asked. I wordlessly pointed to the right. She moved to walk past Edward, and he called after her.

"What's wrong, Swan?" he asked, patronizingly. Trying to embarrass her. My fists clenched.

"Nothing." I heard her calm voice purr as she clicked the door closed to the bathroom, "Your friend just got me a little… worked up."

Edward's face turned green and I bit back a smile.

"So…" I tried to remain as calm as possible, but I still wanted to throttle the bastard, "Care to explain why you're playing cockblock extraordinaire tonight?"

He dangled my house key from his key ring. "You didn't answer your cell." I cursed, looking in my pocket to see that I did have a missed call from the asshole.

"So, what'd you wanna talk about?" I asked snidely. In a way I was thankful for an interruption- I'd let the situation get out of control- but Edward was definitely not the interruption I wanted.

He shrugged, "Life." He approached me, eyeing my disturbed comforter with disdain, "I want to make sure you know what you're getting into."

"Ah." I said, comprehension dawning, "Well, explain it to me, Edward."

"I'm not sure if you know, but Swan is just using you for her own jollies. Hell, she'd even hook up with Collich, and he's a dirty mother fucker. I just don't want you to… catch anything." He smiled at me, like he was being a true pal. _What a dick._

"Thanks for your concern,_ Eddie_." I said, patting him on the back, "But I know exactly what I'm doing. And Bella isn't a skank just because she doesn't want your junk." I left my room, walking towards the bathroom to wait for Bella to come out.

"How do you know she doesn't?" He called out. I turned sharply, frowning at him. He grinned, happy at bothering me as he approached the steps. "See you tomorrow, bud." He waved as he descended the stairs. I scowled. He was so obviously trying to fucking manipulate me. Did he think I was stupid?

_Maybe you are. You've done nothing but be his bitch for all intents and purposes for years._

Bella opened the bathroom door, peeking at me. I smiled despite my gloomy thoughts.

"It's safe, he's gone."

She nodded and emerged from the bathroom. Her cheeks were red and her hair was wet.

"I think I should go home now." She said quietly.

"Bella, don't listen to Edward, he's-" I began. She took two steps toward me and pressed a finger over my lips. I paused, amazingly turned on once again. _Don't bite the finger, don't suck the finger, don't kiss the finger. You're in enough fucking trouble._

"It's not him. I just… you-" she seemed to be struggling with what to say, "I can't control myself around you." She said, withdrawing her finger lightly from my lips.

"So we can't…" I trailed off, dread building in my stomach.

"Jasper, I think I like you." She said, furrowing her brow as if the thought of liking anyone was ludicrous. I smiled lightly, feeling relieved.

"I like you, too." The words sounded so juvenile and stupid, but her face lit up and a light blush covered her cheeks. She bit her lip and glanced at the ground.

"Can you take me home? I'd like to confront Charlie sooner rather than later on his new bedfellow." She changed the subject, and I was torn between being amused and disappointed. I let the subject drop… for now.

"Sure." I extended my hand, and she took it.

**Bella's POV**

The engine of his bike roared to life, and he kissed the back of my hand lightly before tearing off into the night. I stood still for a moment before grudgingly walking towards the front door. I'd wanted to stay. I'd wanted to let him ravish me over and over.

I didn't want him to like me, and I sure as hell didn't want to like him. So why was there a spring in my step, and why couldn't I stop smiling?

_This is dangerous. Don't get your hopes up, or his for that matter._

I sighed, tentatively opening the door. The house was dark, and I couldn't hear anything. Charlie must've gone to bed. I climbed the stairs and shut myself in my room before collapsing on the bed.

I _liked _him. The way he kissed me so urgently, like I may disappear at any second. His hands making me shiver in delight that I'd never felt before.

Yet he'd stopped when Edward came in. Rationally, I knew why. It's not like we could continue our foreplay fiesta if Cullen was being a perv in the doorway. But was there another reason? My mind swam with the possibilities. I knew Edward would stop at nothing if his pride was hurt, and Jasper getting to me first was most definitely an injury.

I laid down, placing a pillow over my head as the one question I couldn't answer plagued my thoughts.

_If Jasper had to choose between us, who would he choose?_

I couldn't sleep. I thrashed around, my dreams a hectic swirling of Jasper and Edward laughing together at me. "Fuck this." I groaned, reaching for my cell. I dialed the number by heart and sighed in relief when he answered.

"Please come to Forks," I practically begged him. "I need you."


	8. Chapter 8

**Rosalie's POV**

"Why are you throwing a party? I could think of better things to do…" Emmett's deep voice rumbled in my ear as I thumbed through clothes in my walk-in closet. I rolled my eyes at how it made me knees shake, glad that he was on the phone and not here in person. Or else I probably would have given in.

"Nuh uh, buddy. Alice thinks Bella needs a night of debauchery and fun to get her out of her funk." I narrowed my eyes at a bright pink sweater that was definitely too small. _Fucking Alice. _About a fourth of the clothes in here were hers, she was over here so much. It actually made Angela jealous at one point… until she realized I was, and continue to be, a definite fan of the dick.

Emmett sighed dramatically over the line, and I grinned. "Of course, you don't have to show. I mean, it's only us girls in a hot tub, getting tipsy and touchy-feely…" I heard his breath quicken and smiled at such an easy victory, "I mean, a lot of other guys will be there. But don't worry, I'm sure no one will ask me to dance or anything."

"They sure as hell won't," he grumbled, "I'll be your bodyguard all night. You're mine."

"Oooh, possessive." I teased.

"You know it," he laughed. "But I understand. I mean, Bella's been acting different this week. Still cool, but she seems… sad, I guess. And I do owe her."

"For what?" I asked, picking a spot of lint off of my favorite jeans.

"For throwing us together." He said, his voice giddy. I wanted to make fun of him, but I knew what he meant. It'd only been four days since our first date, but I was absolutely smitten.

"Yeah, I do owe her." I said. "Fuck me!" I groaned as I noticed Alice's convertible pulling into the driveway from my window.

"With pleasure!" Emmett quipped. I'd smack him for it later.

"No, dumbass, Alice is here and I'm not even dressed."

"Ah." He paused, "Do you think she'll… punish you?"

"Goodbye, Emmett."

"If you could record any punishments and upload it to Youtube, that'd be great-"

"See you tonight," I told him, laughing as I hung up. I turned around and shrieked in surprise. Alice was standing in my doorway. "Ugh. I don't know how you fly up two staircases that quickly."

"It's a gift," she beamed at me, strolling into my room and perching delicately on my bed. She eyed my jeans and shirt with horror. "Ro-o-ose! You're still wearing your clothes from school!"

"It's 4:30, Alice. The party doesn't even start till 6:00." She took a deep calming breath before diving into my closet, pulling out a hot pink bikini with a cute matching sarong.

"On." She commanded, holding them out to me like I was a child. I huffed dramatically, shimmying out of my clothes and putting on the bikini in front of her. Alice smirked at my brazenness.

"Ready to leave Angela for me?" I asked, puffing out my lower lip. She giggled.

"I dunno, babe. We'll see." We'd developed this sort of playful banter years ago after changing in front of each other in the gym locker room. It turned on the rest of the girls who heard it, although they'd never admit it.

I noticed she was wearing a bikini almost identical to mine, only in dark green. I looked between us, amused.

"Pink and green?"

She nodded, "Bella will wear blue."

I chuckled as I adjusted the straps on my suit, "Does Bella know she's wearing blue?"

Alice shrugged, pulling an even-skimpier dark blue bikini out of her bag and wiggling it at me, "Not yet."

"Do you know what's going on with her? I'm assuming it's Edward being a dick again." I wondered aloud, looking in the mirror.

Alice nodded, "Yeah, she told me about what happened with Jazz, and Edward walking in like a douche. And you've seen them the past couple of days. They act like nothing happened. It's weird."

"Mmm." I agreed, finding a charm bracelet out of my jewelry drawer, "But Jazz totally only has eyes for Bella. I mean, they talk like all of us do, but have you seen the way he looks at her?" I fanned myself with a grin.

"Yeah, he has it bad. I don't know, maybe Bella's reconsidering going after Jazz to piss off Edward." Alice applied a final layer of shiny lip gloss before popping her lips, "I'll find out tonight."

"Edward's gonna be there, isn't he?" I asked, grabbing a sweatshirt. Alice peered at it with disapproval.

"It's COLD outside, Alice." Whenever we held these pool/hot-tub parties, Alice always cranked the heat in the entire mansion up. Plus, the pool was also heated. We liked to pretend we lived in a place where it wasn't dreary and gross almost every day.

"Hmmph. Yes, Edward will be there. I didn't invite any girls he'd be interested in, so he'll have to watch Bella frolic. He won't be able to resist." Alice waggled her eyebrows mischievously.

"I see." I grinned, looking forward to tonight. "Let's go pick up Bella."

**Bella's POV**

I'm not sure I've ever been so glad it was Friday. The end of my first week back in Forks. My classes were obscenely easy, so I wasn't grateful for the break from them. I've been stressed out since the night at Jasper's. Telling him that I liked him made me feel really vulnerable, which I fucking hated. And to top it off, at school he acted the same. Nice and flirty, but he didn't bring up that night at all. He didn't ask about my weekend plans, or whether I wanted to hang out at all. It made me wonder if he was even really interested. Maybe he'd just shown Edward who was boss, then decided I wasn't worth the trouble. The thought bothered me more than I'd like.

Edward was no different. He spent the entire week scowling at me in Bio whenever Jasper and I would talk or work on class work together. I would catch him looking and cock one eyebrow, and he'd immediately look away. So juvenile. During lunch, he would pretend I didn't exist. That was fine by me. I irked me that he and Jasper seemed to still be getting along fine. They would exchange banter at lunch and bitch at each other over Edward changing Jasper's alarm clock songs- which was so unbelievably gay of an argument to have. I was surprised they didn't just admit that they boned each other every night.

Maybe what bothered me most was that fear, that insecurity that told me that they were talking about me. Making fun of me behind my back. I knew it was stupid- if they talked shit about me, who the fuck cares?- but it still stung to think of Jasper going along with Edward and not sticking up for me. But, I barely knew him. These thoughts made the rest of my first week less eventful. I mostly kept to myself, but still talked at length with Alice and Rose every day.

I could tell that they wanted to ask about the Edward and Jasper situation, but they respected my privacy. Up until tonight, at least. I knew Alice would use her little pool party as a cover to make me 'fess up every fear I'd ever had. If she gave me liquor, it would be over. I was known to word-vomit every feeling I'd ever felt after a couple shots of vodka.

I sighed, glancing at the clock. Alice was supposed to be here in five minutes. I tossed some make-up and a change of clothes into my backpack before dashing downstairs. My dad was out fishing… in the late afternoon? Right. I scowled, ripping the note off of the fridge and tossing it into the trash. It's not like I was opposed to my parents dating or finding someone new- God knows that I appreciate Phil (and Phil's contribution to my bank account). But James' mom? It was too weird.

I walked out of the house, locking the door behind me. I caught sight of James swinging in the hammock between our houses. It was held up by two giant trees, one of which would probably kill me in my sleep if it ever fell. I waved awkwardly and approached him. We hadn't talked since Monday night. I think he thought I was still pissed at him for telling Edward that I kissed him. I really wasn't. I just didn't want to talk about our parents doing the horizontal mambo. But I guess it was inevitable.

"What're you doing out here?" I asked, plopping down next to him on the hammock. I realized my mistake- it's a hammock, not a couch, dumbass- as I immediately rolled so that I was laying down pressed up against him. He laughed at my flabbergasted expression.

"Don't worry Swan, I won't take advantage." He said with a small smile before looking up again towards the sky. I felt guilty and confused at the sad expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" I asked, tilting my head towards him. He looked back and lifted his arm casually. I snuggled into his side, grateful for the warmth. I hadn't brought a jacket, and I was too lazy to go back inside and get one.

"My mom's inside," he muttered, still looking up. I glanced over at his house and noticed the single light on the third floor.

"Why is that bad?" I inquired, confused. He took one look at me, the window, then back at me again.

"Oh…" I said softly, looking at the window and feeling sick, "They're in there?"

"Yup." He sounded just as disgusted as I felt.

"That's pretty… uh, gross." I said, wanting to flap my forehead as soon as it came out. Way to sound intellectual, Bella. He nodded, looking over at me. He didn't say anything, he just looked into my eyes with an expression I couldn't label. The silence turned uncomfortable, and I cleared my throat.

"So, you're coming to Alice's right?" I tried to sound cheerful.

"Yeah," he said with a slight grin. "I was a little surprised. Usually I never get invited, 'cause Cullen throws a bitch fit if I do." He nudged my shoulder, "Guess you have something to do with that." I blushed, unaware that Alice had seemingly invited James just for me.

"Maybe." I replied, watching Alice's car pull into the driveway. I clamored up and waved goodbye, "I'll see you in a few hours." He grinned at me, seeming happier now. I turned and jogged towards Alice's car. She and Rose were both peering through the windows, no doubt analyzing my interaction with James. I rolled my eyes before climbing in the backseat. They both turned to face me and I pursed my lips.

"What?" I asked, defiantly. They looked at each other before looking back at me and giggling.

"James is coming to the party, right?" Alice asked as she backed the car up, her voice oozing innocence.

"Yes." I said, "And another friend of mine is too, if you don't mind." Alice slammed on the brakes.

"Ah, fuck!" Rose complained, fixing her jostled hair in the rearview mirror.

"What friend?" Alice asked excitedly, turning completely around in her seat to face me, "A male friend? Who?"

"Someone from Phoenix." I answered nonchalantly. She narrowed her eyes at me before she started to drive towards her house.

"I will find out all your secrets, Bella Swan." She muttered. I laughed.

**Alice's POV**

The party was in full-swing, and only me, Rose, Bella, Emmett and Angie were here so far. I always liked to keep my parties intimate. Mostly so I could watch everyone. After feeding Bella three sex on the beachs, she promptly told Rose and I exactly how she was feeling. I was appalled at the boys, although I couldn't expect better from Edward. But for Jasper to act like nothing really happened? I was so going to confront him tonight.

I was also waiting on pins and needles for Bella's friend. I had a feeling it was a boy. The addition of another boy would definitely spice things up. I could tell James still wanted Bella, so throwing him, Edward, and Jasper into my house was already going to be explosive. Throw in a mystery man, plus liquor and bikinis, and all bets are off.

Bella made everything so exciting!

Rose had already wandered away twice, and each time I caught her in the same linen closet with Emmett. If the bitch had any creativity, maybe I wouldn't catch her every time. I clutched onto her arm now, forcing her into the hot tub with me. Angie smiled at me lazily from the pool, where she was swimming leisurely. I winked at her, and she smirked.

Bella was currently dancing by herself next to the bar. My hired bartender was eyeing her with lust, and I scowled fiercely at him from the hot tub. He recognized my serious face and immediately cowered. I had to give Bella credit: she looked amazing. Her body was fit and small, but her boobs… well, she made a B-cup look damn good. She was twisting and spinning in glee, her drink sloshing in her hand. She poked at my iPod for a moment before laughing. "Never Gonna Give You Up" came on loud over the speakers. Emmett guffawed and high-fived her as she continued dancing.

The sun was already down, so the only light came from the tiki torches I had strategically placed around the patio. As I realized that Bella could very well set her hair on fire, I spied James coming in through the door. Showtime.

"JAMES!" Bella made a strange noise that sounded an awful lot like "squee" as she launched into his arms. He smiled, wrapping his arms around her bare back.

Did I mention it was a string bikini that I dressed her in?

She reached up and kissed his cheek before grabbing his hand and leading him to the hot tub. He nodded hello, but seemed a little uncomfortable. I felt bad for excluding him from these… gatherings for so long. I shouldn't have given into Edward's stupid demands.

"Hi James." I said, smiling brightly from the bubbling water, "Welcome. The bar's over there, pool's there, hot tub's here-" I winked at Bella, who giggled- "And that that by the bar is where I consider the dance floor to be."

"There's gonna be dancing?" James looked confused. Bella nodded and whispered something in his ear. He laughed, wrapping an arm around her waist as she led him to the bar.

Emmett clumsily jumped into the hot tub, creating waves from his descent. "Damn it Emmett, I didn't want to get my hair wet yet." I whined. He shrugged, taking a seat to watch the Bella Show.

"Eddie's not gonna be pleased that James is here," he observed.

I shrugged. Angela climbed out of the pool and quickly sidled up next to me in the hot tub. Luckily, my orgy-happy parents had sprung for a huge one that could fit over twenty horny teens.

I could hear Bella educating James on the virtues of Rick Astley as he sipped a beer, nodding with a small smile on his lips. Drunk Bella seemed to be very passionate about her Rick. I heard the screen door slam and Edward and Jasper strolled in. Jasper was watching Bella's exchange like a kicked puppy; Edward, like a petulant child. I looked over and rolled my eyes as I climbed out of the tub to greet them. She wasn't even touching James, just talking to him by the bar, and still they both look as if they're going to tagteam his ass.

"Hi boys." I greeted, leaning up to smack a kiss on their cheeks. They complied, both not taking their eyes off of Bella and James.

"What is he doing here?" Edward asked lowly. I shrugged.

"He's Bella's friend, so he's welcome. If you're gonna be a little bitch about it, you can leave." He gaped at me, not used to the tone I used. "Don't look at me like that, Cullen, I've pacified you for years. James is a cool guy, and he'll be around more. Grow up and get used to it. Have a drink." He scowled but strode towards the bar. Bella didn't even notice him as she continued jabbering away at James. I think that made Edward even angrier as he ordered a round of shots. For himself. Jasper took one step to follow him, but I grabbed his arm.

"A word?" I asked, smiling brightly. He frowned, looking towards Bella once before he nodded, following me into the house.

"Listen, Jasper, I know you and Bella made out." He opened his mouth to speak, but I held up a hand. No talking, buddy, "And that's cool. I know about Edward walking in and being a dick. I know she told you she liked you. Now explain to me why you haven't done anything about it."

He looked conflicted, "I don't know, Alice. It's a fucked up situation. Edward keeps harping on about how she's the anti-christ, and I don't know why but I don't want to, you know…" he hung his head, "…put myself out there, I guess."

I rolled my eyes, "Jazz. C'mon. It's obvious she likes you. I know she does."

He gestured to the glass to Bella as she continued talking to James, her hand occasionally brushing his bare chest.

"Well, what do you expect her to do? If you don't say you're interested, she's got James there vying for her attentions. James, who actually pays attention to her and doesn't ignore the fuck out of her whenever Edward tells him to!" Yes, it was harsh, but Jasper had to come out from under Edward's thumb eventually. Jasper looked like I'd slapped him, and I sighed, "You only have one shot at this, Jazz. You have to make a decision."

He nodded before promptly turning around and going back onto the patio. I followed, wondering if I'd gotten through. Too much boy drama… even for me. I skipped over to the ipod and put on some vintage Britney. I grabbed Bella's arm, and she giggled before handing her drink to James. Jasper, who'd been walking towards Bella, looked pissed. I shrugged, mouthing "You have to work for it," at him and winking as I led Bella to the center of the wooden deck. Rose and Angela were giggling as they climbed out of the tub to join us.

_I know I may come off quiet, may come off shy_

_But I feel like talking, feel like dancing when I see this guy_

_What's practical is logical, what the hell, who cares_

_All I know is I'm so happy when you're dancing there_

_I'm a slave for you… _

"C'mon dance team lady, show me whatchu got!" I whispered in Bella's ear. She smiled and bit her lip before wrapping her arms around my waist. Rose came up from behind her and cupping her ass, and Angela was dancing against my back. Bella slyly placed one of her legs between my thighs, and I grinned conspiratorially at her as we grinded. Everyone's hair was wet and we laughed and giggled and sighed to the music.

**Edward's POV**

_Jesus._

It wasn't like I hadn't seen them put on this show before. It was one of their favorite party tricks.

But they'd never done it with _her._

I turned slightly back to the bar, trying to hide how ridiculously excited I was. Fucking swim shorts didn't hide anything. They all looked good, but she looked amazing. Of course I'd noticed when I walked in. Her hair was piled on top of her head with a few light strands in her face. I wanted to brush them away from her eyes.

I think Jasper did, too. _Fuck._

I thought I'd been succeeding this week. Sure, he'd been flirty as hell in bio, but he was a flirty motherfucker in general. And I caught the looks she was shooting him- she was pissed. Good. If that kiss I walked in on was any indication, I'd prevented something from happening. I spent the days after that telling Jasper idle stories of rumors I'd heard about Bella (rumors I created, but what's the difference). I couldn't let her get to him. I knew she only wanted to in the first place to get to me. I was just eliminating the middle man.

I knew this party would present a challenge, but I wasn't expecting James. I saw her smile and bite her lip as she talked to him. It made me angry; why did a little mistake make me unworthy of those smiles, those little gestures? I just had to get on her good side. It shouldn't be too hard.

I got myself under control, mostly from thinking about my parents getting busy, before I strolled over to where Jasper, James and Emmett were all standing. In a line. Staring. They had us by the balls, and they knew it. I breathed a sigh of relief as the wretched song came to an end… before it started up again. Fucking Alice and her fucking repeat setting. The girls kept grinding and groping without missing a beat.

I jumped when I realized our little conga line had gained another member. His dark hair was swept from his dark eyes, and he was gazing interestedly at the display. The rest of the guys turned with me, all appraising the newcomer. The girls were too wrapped up in their lesbo love frenzy to even notice.

"Uh… who are you?" Jasper asked, trying to be polite. James looked confused and Emmett was edging to the side, probably trying to block the new guys' view of Rosalie. As if he could block one without blocking all of them. They were entwined around each other like a fucking bucket of snakes.

"I was invited," his voice was smooth and low. I immediately bristled- invited by who? Jasper nodded and smiled tentatively, which the new guy mirrored before returning his attention to the girls.

"The one in the middle- the girl with the light brown hair, the taller one- who is she?" He sounded intrigued. I flushed when I realized he meant Bella. I noticed both James and Jasper stiffened at the interest in his voice. Emmett looked relieved that he didn't ask about the blond.

"She's Bella. She's really cool." He offered, making the rest of us glare at him. _Traitor._ He shrugged before turning back to watch the show.

"What's she like?" He asked, looking at me, Jasper and James in turn.

"She's… nice." Jasper conceded, "She's a really good person." Now he just sounded depressed.

"Yeah, she lives next door to me." James said. The new guy nodded.

"None of you are dating her?"

"No." Jasper said, glumly. James nodded morosely, and the two shared an understanding glance. Jesus. Could they do nothing right? They were supposed to be scaring this prick off, not giving him ammo for hitting on her.

"Actually, she has a variety of STDs. She, uh, gets around, if you know what I mean." I winked. He smiled, revealing a neat row of white teeth.

"I take it you are Edward." The smile faded as he looked at me, almost threateningly.

"Wha- how did you know my name?" This was some creepy shit.

"Because I've heard of you, Mr. Cullen. Now if you excuse me, my best friend is waiting. It was so nice to meet you gentlemen." We all gaped, open-mouthed as he approached the dancing orgy. Bella lifted her face and caught sight of him. Her face broke into a bright smile and she disentangled herself, running into his arms.

"Laurent! I missed you so much!" she squealed. He swung her around, laughing. The other girls congregated around him, offering hugs and handshakes.

"Dude… he like, tested us." Emmett said, in awe.

_Fuck. Me._ He was talking to the girls a mile-a-minute, whispering to them as they all leaned in. He finished speaking and the girls all sent me death glares.

"Cullen, I think it's safe to say you failed." Emmett said, patting me on the back.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Bella's POV**_

"Bella…" Laurent grabbed my hand, pulling me towards the hot tub. Alice, Rosalie and Angela all raised their eyebrows at us, but continued talking and dancing closer to the pool. Emmett was watching Rosalie with hooded eyes, and I abruptly lowered my eyes when I noticed that the rest of the guys present were currently staring at me and Laurent.

Laurent shrugged off his sweatshirt and I smirked at his blatant attempts to show-off. "Babe, we both know you've got a bangin' body, but all the guys are straight." I paused, squinting slightly, "Well, I'm almost positive they are."

Laurent laughed, rich and full, and I smiled. I missed him so much, and I was glad that he'd agreed to come visit me in Forks for the weekend. As he untied the strings to his sweatpants, I grew slightly alarmed. "Please be wearing some fucking board shorts. I told you this wasn't a commando party." He chuckled, revealing his bright orange shorts.

"Happy?" He purred, dramatically taking my hand and leading me into the steaming, bubbling water.

"No." I mock-pouted, "But I don't want anyone else here to see your goodies." He grinned at me before helping me settle in the water. I leaned back, moaning as I stretched out my legs, wiggling my toes over a particularly strong stream of bubbles. Laurent sat next to me, sighing as he looked over towards the bar. All the men had migrated to it. Emmett was trying to engage Rosalie in dancing, but she kept twirling away from him. Alice and Angela were back in the pool, splashing each other. James, Edward and Jasper were all knocking back shots, making fleeting eye contact with each other, then drinking some more. I noticed they all looked over at the hot tub when I spared a glance over there. I quickly looked away.

"So…" Laurent began, nudging my stomach with his bare fingertips, "This is quite the mess you've created for yourself." He sounded half-amused, and half-intrigued, "I'll admit, I thought you were exaggerating on the phone." He shook his head, smiling, "Those boys all definitely want you. Well, except for the really buff one, but I figured you know that already."

"Yup." I sighed, "But I think you're wrong about Edward. He's obviously trying to make me miserable again. I don't think he wants me for himself. I think he wants me alone." I leaned back, dipping the back of my neck in the steaming water, "That's why he told you that crap about me being a STD whore."

Laurent shook his head. I scowled at his casual dismissal. "You still don't see yourself clearly, Bells. C'mon, you don't think for a moment that Edward might want you for himself?" He nodded towards the bar, where it looked like Edward was having a heated discussion with both Jasper and James. I shook my head once more, but with less certainty behind it.

"If he does-" I began, "Then it's only for a power play or something like that. Or just to get to me before Jasper does." I'd told Laurent over the phone all about Edward's reputation of getting everything (and every girl) first.

"You could be right." Laurent mused, "But you could be wrong, too. Even though he's a slimy bastard, he's still capable of feelings." I shrugged my shoulders, trying to force my body to relax. He continued, "But those two? Jasper and James? The J's?" He chuckled and I rolled my eyes, "They definitely have it bad. You need to pick one and let the other one down."

"Why?" I asked, aware that I sounded like a petulant child, "Neither one has officially asked me out or anything. I don't want to isolate one just to have the other blow me off." I glanced quickly to the bar, where Edward and Jasper were now in each other's faces, talking quietly but with somber faces. James was still drinking. _My kind of guy._

"It's not fair to them." Laurent said, and I flinched at his tone. I wasn't that kind of girl, the kind that led guys on… at least, the guys that didn't deserve it.

"I don't know which one to pick." I finally confessed, feeling bad for talking about two men like they were trivial items I'd pick up at the grocery. _But what a sexy store it would be._ "James is really cool, and easy to talk to."

"And a good kisser." Laurent interjected, waggling his eyebrows. I laughed, smacking his arm.

"Yes." I admitted, "But… I mean, the kiss was good, better than good, but it wasn't…" My buzzed-with-alcohol brain struggled to find the proper word to describe it, "Sparky." 

"Ah." Laurent noted, "That's not good. What about Jasper?"

I flushed, and that seemed answer enough for him. "But, Jasper's been so hot and cold. James always wants to hang out or sit with me and talk with me, but I feel like Jasper's been keeping his distance because of Edward."

"So he's pussy-whipped… by a dude." Laurent concluded, and I giggled. He shook his head, dipping his short dreadlocks in the water before shaking them. I shrieked, flinching as he shook water on me like a dog. He caught me in his arms, bringing my back against his chest. He placed his chin on my shoulder. "Bella, you just have to decide this on your own. I can't tell you what to do." I sighed, looking up at the dark sky as he spoke in my ear.

"I know." I finally murmured, "But I have no idea what to do." I felt him smile against my shoulder.

"You might have some help."

I was about to ask him what he meant by that when I heard the intruding voice.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" I turned abruptly in Laurent's arms, splashing him by accident. Jasper stood by the edge of the hot tub, a pleading look on his face. I noticed his eyes flicked to where Laurent held me, and back to my face. I made eye contact with Laurent, who nodded at me with a gleam in his dark eyes. _Smug motherfucker. _

"Sure." I said, standing up. Jasper's eyes glazed over for a moment as they trailed down my body. Laurent cleared his throat, and Jasper's eyes shot up to mine once more, his expression embarrassed. I smiled softly, taking his extended hand as I climbed out of the tub. Jasper led me a few yards away from the hot tub, closer to the house. I shivered slightly, fidgeting. He still hadn't let go of my hand.

"Are you cold?" He asked, concerned.

I gave him a look, "Obviously." My teeth were beginning to chatter.

"Oh, fuck." He realized I was still dripping from the tub, "C'mon, Alice has some towels in here." I followed him, sparing a glance towards the bar. Edward was watching us go with a glare, and he took a deliberate step towards us. Relief washed over me as Alice flitted over to him, blocking his path. I also noticed that James was no where to be seen. I felt bad… I'd invited him, and practically abandoned him.

I was immediately distracted as Jasper led me to a large room, filled with various towels, sheets, and pillowcases. I was miffed, "This is a closet?" My voice was skeptical.

Jasper nodded, almost sheepishly as he grabbed a plush, dark blue towel from the nearest shelf. He held it out to me for a moment, seeming hesitant. The hand he was holding felt clammy and too wet. I let go of his hand and reached for the towel, thumbing the soft material between my fingers. Jasper reached out, and gently took it back from me. He placed it around my shoulders, rubbing his hands firmly up and down my now-covered arms.

I chanced a look up at his stormy eyes. "So…" My voice sounded scratchy and awkward, "What did you want to talk about?" His hands stopped their motion for a moment, before resuming the casual caress. I was suddenly aware of how exposed I was. Besides the soft towel around my shoulders and arms, I could feel the heat from the nearby vent against blow against my chest, stomach and legs. I cursed Alice for the skimpy little bikini she'd presented me with. I also cursed myself for sobering up. This was a moment where I would enjoy being drunk.

"I-" Jasper hesitated, "I'm sorry." I gaped at him, wondering what he meant. Sorry he was acting like a dick? Sorry that he'd ever touched me in the first place?

"I didn't mean to be so weird this week." He finally said. I stayed quiet, my heart hammering in my chest. "I do like you, Bella. I like you so much. It's just… Edward…" He paused, looking to the floor. Hurt and anger pulsed in my throat, making me feel sick. He was going to pick Edward and his doucebaggery over me?

At my stricken expression, he began speaking faster, "No, what I mean is… I'm not quite sure how to do this."

"Just say what you need to say, alright? I won't break." I gripped the towel around me, looking at an idle drop of water as it trailed down my ankle. When I lifted my gaze to meet his again, I was surprised at the expression on his face. He looked almost angry. Within a second, he had me pinned against the wall of the closet and was plundering my mouth.

"Mmmph." I emitted a surprised moan, unable to stop myself from letting him kiss me. His tongue fiercely brushed against mine, not content for me to just be passive. I gave in. The towel dropped from my shoulders and I wound my arms around his neck, letting my fingers play with the short hairs on the nape of his neck. Reason returned to my brain and I pushed him away, running my fingers over my swollen lips.

"No, Jasper. We need to talk, not…" I trailed off, gesturing between us, "Do that."

"I'm sorry." He apologized again, his voice gruff.

"Whatever. Are you going to talk to me or just maul me in a closet?" He looked stricken, and I immediately felt guilty.

"I want to give it a try with you."

The words hung in the air. I stared at him, open-mouthed. I was so sure that he'd brought me in here to let me down easy. Taking my silence as a rejection, Jasper turned to go. I caught his hand and clasped it in both of mine. He turned to me, vulnerability and a question in his eyes.

"Me too." I marveled that all it took was those words to make him smile. His face was radiant when he smiled. He tugged me towards him and locked his arms around my waist. I laughed when he began nuzzling my neck and dropping soft kisses there. "So…" I mumbled, determined not to let him distract me, "What does this mean?"

"Mmm." His voice rumbled against my skin and I felt heat flush through my stomach, "I don't want to share." I bit back a smile, ecstatic at what I was hearing.

"And what about Edward?" His lips on my neck stilled, and I sighed in irritation, "I can't be with you if I have to wonder how you're going to act each day. I want to be in a relationship with you, and I don't share either. Meaning, if I'm with you, it's you and me. Not you, me, and Edward trying to fuck everything up."

He backed away from me, and my face fell.

"Bella, I can't just ditch Edward. I know he's an asshole, but he's also been my best friend for years."

"I'm not asking you to ditch him-" I seethed. He held up a hand to stop me, and I glared at him.

"I know. How about we make a deal?" Jasper's voice dropped slightly and I felt as if his eyes were pinning me to the spot, "When I'm around you, I don't talk about Edward. When I'm around Edward, I don't talk about you. Fair?" He reached a hand to pin a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Okay." I agreed, "But he has to know we're dating."

"Dating? Who said anything about-" I interrupted his playful teasing by placing a light kiss on his lips. He smiled against my lips, "Ah, my girlfriend is so sweet."

I broke away abruptly, false shock on my face, "Girlfriend? Who is she? I'll cut that bitch."

He laughed, pulling me into a tight hug.

_**Edward's POV**_

I wasn't an idiot; I knew I fucked up. My mind was absolutely spinning after the encounter with Bella's BFF. I knew that getting back into her good graces wouldn't be easy from the beginning; it would be even harder now.

From the second that Bella paraded her hot little body into the hot tub, Jasper picked a fight with me. He told me that he genuinely liked Bella, that as far as he was concerned I was completely wrong about her. Then he stomped off to whisk her inside, most likely to declare his feelings.

James had already walked off with his tail between his legs when he observed our argument. I watched Angela and Rosalie flock to Laurent, cooing over the bastard. Alice intercepted me from following Jasper and Bella. She always seemed to know what my plans were.

"Edward, leave them alone. C'mon. You want to prove you're not the same little jerk she knew? Just leave them be." She pleaded. I nodded, and she seemed surprised. She planted a smacking, wet kiss on my cheek before scurrying behind the bar to bitch out the bartender for running out of peach schnapps.

Just as I was reevaluating my goals, I felt my phone buzz in the pocket of my shorts. I took it out, ready to hit "Ignore"- it was either from Lauren or my mother, and no fucking way did I want to talk to either- when I read the screen. I did a double take, a small smile appearing on my face. I walked out towards the pool as I hit "Accept". I lifted the phone to my ear, employing my charming voice as I answered.

"It's been a long time."

"Yeah." Her voice sounded low and sultry, just like I remembered. Although I'd never hit it, I'd always admired her physical attributes. Unfortunately, I viewed her as more of a sister than anything.

"So, why are you calling?" I inquired politely.

She laughed, "I dropped out of school. I'm coming to visit a view friends around Port Angeles in a few weeks, and I was wondering if it'd be worth my time to visit good ol' Forks."

"Hmm… " I watched through Alice's huge windows as Jasper and Bella came tumbling out of the linen closet, him whispering in her ear and her smiling up at him. "Yeah, you definitely need to come here. You're very missed."

"Really?" She sounded intrigued.

"Yeah." I watched Jasper and Bella sneak further into the house. I rolled my eyes. If I was going to get my way, I'd have to have patience… about three weeks of patience, apparently.

"Okay, I'll call you when I plan on coming up." She said, sounding distracted.

"Alright. Bye Maria." I snapped my phone shut and turned back towards the party with a satisfied smile on my face.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Bella's POV**_

"Damn it."

I threw the book of foreign conjugated verbs to the floor. "Ugh." I was restless. And disappointed. It was almost ten at night, and I was sure that he'd be here by now. _Stupid, unreliable boy…_

A muffled, "Aw, fuck!" sailed up from the yard. Grinning ear to ear, I raced to my window, pulling it open and letting the cool, floral breeze into the room.

"What are you doing there?" I asked, barely able to restrain a giggle, "It's cold!"

"Trying to see you!" he huffed, swinging a long leg haphazardly over a thick branch.

"You're crazy," I said, muffling a smile. "If you fall and break your neck, I'll laugh."

He reached my window, shuffling over until his fingers gripped my window sill. "Now, that's a lie," He said, his voice lower than it was before. And God _damn _how delicious that accent made "lie" sound coming out of his mouth. I shivered and backed up enough to let him crawl inside. He brushed off his jacket before stalking towards me. I grinned and backed up as he stepped forward, step for step, until the back of my knees knocked into the bed.

I bit my lip to keep from sighing as he reached out and placed his hands on my bare shoulders.

"This is what you wear to bed?" he asked lightly, tracing the straps of my thin tank top.

"Usually," I purred, entwining his fingers with mine before laying down on the bed. He effortlessly lowered himself on top of me, still gazing at me with soft and eager eyes. Gently removing his hands from mine, he gripped my waist and rolled us over so that I was straddling him. With a cheeky smile, he put his hands behind his head, looking like the epitome of relaxation.

"Sometimes, I don't wear anything," I said, desperate to break his calm façade. His face betrayed him by briefly showing a flash of lust. I smiled at him before running one hand slowly down my neck, circling my collarbone before lightly tracing one breast. His smile was gone as his eyes fervently followed my hands' progress. I reached down and traced idle patterns on his thin tshirt with my free hand. He took a slow breath.

"And why…" Was it me, or did he just say "why" with more of an accent than usual? _Manipulative jackass._ He moved his arms from behind his head and placing them both so firmly on my hips that I could feel the heat of them through my cotton boyshorts. "Would you do that?" His voice was lower every second, husky and dark.

"Well…" I sighed dramatically, watching his eyes dilate as my wandering hand traced my navel before meeting his hand on my right hip, "Sometimes I hope my boyfriend will come over, so I just lay here naked. I feel so sexy when I do. But he ends up disappointing me and not showing up, so then I usually…" I trailed off, glancing at the ceiling as if deep in thought. His fingers digging into my hips tightened. _Take that, you sexy accent-y bastard._

"What?" he croaked. I gave him a faux-bashful smile before leaning down and brushing my lips lightly against his.

I whispered against his lips, "I usually end up touching myself."

He groaned, wiggling under me. I laughed, throwing my head back in unrestrained joy. He made me feel… giddy. What was that line from "Natural Born Killers"? _You make every day feel like kindergarten_. That fit him and me.

I gave a startled yelp as he flipped us over yet again, this time much closer, lying flush to my body. He grasped my wrists tightly, almost tight enough to hurt, pinning them to the mattress. My breath came quickly as he effortlessly took both of my wrists in one hand, leaving the other free to touch my cheek.

"You need to be quiet, _darlin'_."

Okay, now I _knew _he was doing it on purpose.

"Hmmph," I scoffed, playfully nipping my teeth at his fingers as they touched my lips. "Charlie's over at Tanya's. Even if he was here, a freight train could pass through and it wouldn't wake him." I eyed him suspiciously, "You've been over here enough. You know that."

"Maybe I do." He smiled at me and I felt like dying. In a good way. Guh, the boy was just gorgeous. I could spend hours looking into his eyes, trying to find a name for their color. In regular lights like in my room, they seemed a dark, ocean blue. In school, under the obscenely unflattering flourescents, they were more of a light indigo. It was only in the daylight that the gray was easy to spot.

"While this S&M thing is kinda hot, I really need to finish a few things before our cuddlefest," I said matter-of-factly. He chuckled, releasing my wrists but still keeping his hand on my cheek, drawing his thumb lightly across my face. I looked down, willing the traitorous blush I felt coming on to go away.

We'd only been dating for three weeks, but we already had a set routine. Most nights Jasper would just walk in the front door and stay until after Charlie left for work, if Charlie was even home. If he was feeling particularly dramatic, he would climb the tree by my window. He said it was romantic. I said that there was something wrong with his brain, but I liked him and it anyway.

This was all still very foreign to me. Being in a relationship. A real, honest, stable one.

It was weird, but I liked it.

Physically, I felt like I was lost at sea without a paddle. I had no idea how to proceed. I'd asked Rosalie, Alice and Laurent all their opinions on what my limits should be. I wasn't a virgin, and I knew he wasn't, but I knew I was in unfamiliar territory. The old Bella was impulsive- if I wanted a kiss, I would either take it or ask for it. The same for sex. I was pretty sure that real relationships aren't built on hot, impulsive sex. _But wouldn't it be great if they were?_

Everyone had different advice. Rosalie, who was much more relaxed courtesy of Emmett's influence, had given me a hippie response: "Bella, I swear, chill out. Just go with the flow. If it feels right, do it!"

Alice was much more specific: "Okay, two weeks at least for fingering. At least a month for oral. Two months or a declaration of love for intercourse, whichever comes first." As much as I appreciated her calendar-oriented strategy, it all seemed a little too strict for me.

Laurent, bless him, was blunt as always. "No one will tell you what you want to hear, Bells. You want to hear that he'll respect you no matter what you do. I don't fucking know, and neither does anyone else. You just gotta figure it out on your own." He'd left me with a kiss on the forehead after making me promise to call him with updates ("And I'll come back in a flash and kick his blondie ass if he acts up, just say the word!")

School was almost the same as it was before, except Jasper and I were obviously a couple. We held hands in the hallways. He made faces at me in bio when the teacher wasn't looking, trying to make me laugh. He almost always picked me up every morning for school. When he didn't, it was because Alice had thrown her weekly tantrum, bemoaning the fact that every time I rode the bike, my hair would be a disaster by the time I got to school.

On those days, she and Rosalie would show up and escort me to school in the car, where I was safe from my hair being disheveled. God forbid I would drive myself… at least Jasper and the girls seemed to agree on that point. No one trusted my poor truck.

Everything was going so well that it scared me. Well, with Jasper, at least. Edward was even being decent. Or as decent as a deprecating, self-righteous asshole could be. He didn't speak to me, and I was content with that. He and Jasper hadn't had any fights or arguments about me at all. It made me a little suspicious, but I couldn't very well confront Jasper about his best friend not starting fights.

The one major thorn in my metaphorical paw was James. I could tell I'd hurt his feelings at Alice's party by disappearing with Jasper. He didn't speak to me for a few days after that night, and it bothered me. I knew that kissing him had been a mistake. I probably would've gone for more if Jasper wasn't in the picture. He'd been warming up to me again, though, which made me really happy. I found myself able to talk to him about things that I didn't feel right discussing with Jasper or the girls. For instance, only he could share my humiliation at what our parents were doing together.

He didn't frown or look like a kicked puppy when I held hands with or kissed Jasper anymore. Still, I'd catch those looks on his face sometimes when he thought I wasn't looking. I was going to have to make sure he knew that even though I had a boyfriend, we could still be close and hang out. Jasper wasn't too fond of this idea, but he kept his mouth shut. _The perfect boyfriend._

We'd been having heavy make-out sessions for the past week or so. Tonight I was hoping to knock off one if not two more base(s). I was ready, and my want for him was getting to frustrating levels.

I was sure he wouldn't object.

What straight, rational man would?

I brushed my teeth and preened in the mirror before changing into the silky robe hanging up on the hook over the door. _Showtime. _

I entered my bedroom again, dramatically posing with one hand on the door frame. He whistled low, his eyes perusing me before reaching my eyes. I walked leisurely to the bed, sitting down on the edge. I smiled nervously as I felt his breath from behind me.

"This is… new." He murmured, pressing his lips lightly to my neck.

"Uh… hummm…" I stuttered, leaning into his touch.

_'Cause I'll never be,  
More than I expect from me  
The whole of me dedicated to your misery,  
You're a whore, I'm a hero_

I groaned and flopped down on the bed as Jasper scrambled for his cell phone. He squeezed my hand apologetically before flipping open the phone.

"Hey man. Yeah, great new ring tone. Not sure I want to know when you put that on there." He said, sounding a little frustrated.

I scowled before a cunning smile took over my features. I straddled his lap, letting my robe fall open below my breasts. Jasper's jaw dropped as he listened to the other end, watching as I slowly wound my legs around his waist. I rested my elbows on his shoulders, letting my fingers play with his hair as I leaned in and brushed my lips around his neck and collarbone.

"Uh…" he squeaked, "Are you sure?" His free hand skimmed down the side of my robe, bunching the fabric in his fingers. He sighed before reluctantly letting go, and pushing on me to get off of him. My mouth wide open in astonishment and anger, I dismounted the only boy in a 50 mile radius who would dare turn me down. For a phone call. I clutched my robe tightly to me as I stomped off to the bathroom to change back into my top and shorts.

My dignity slightly more intact, I walked into my room. Jasper's face was somber and apologetic. "Bella, I'm sorry. He's at a party and the Volvo won't start." I bit back a laugh, turning my back to him as I thumbed through my dresser for something less slutty to wear. _Do I even own flannel?_

"Who is 'he'?" I asked, unable to keep my tone neutral. I grasped the sweatpants I'd discovered, putting them on.

"You know who I'm talking about," he sighed. "Edward."

I snorted. "And there's no one else that can help jumpstart his car? Right."

"Bella," he said reproachfully. "Edward's been great these past weeks. C'mon, cut him some slack. I am his best friend."

"It's a party! There must be fifty sluts with SUV's there that are drooling to help him." I bit my lip, "Why does he need you to help him?"

"He asked, and I'm going. I'm sorry, okay? You know that I'd rather be here than anywhere else." He turned me to face him before kissing my lips with a tenderness that I didn't deserve. My anger melted away as quickly as it'd come, and all I could feel was longing.

"I know. It's just…" I struggled to find the right phrasing, treading lightly, "He's always calling you and doing all that cutesy shit, like your ringtone."

"That's his way of showing he's still my friend, baby." Jasper sounded a little upset. Jesus, I had to walk on eggshells around the topic of Edward.

"I know what friends are." I withdrew from his arms, feeling the loss as I sat down on my bed, "I just… I want you all to myself, I guess." He kissed my forehead before grasping my hand.

"It's mutual, believe me." He said, a smile on his face. I rolled my eyes at the cheesy wink he gave me before I waved him off.

"Go, save your damsel in distress." I said, smirking playfully. He sighed, kissing me again before walking out the door towards the stairs. "What, no climbing out my window?" I called out, amused.

"Using the door is just as romantic!" He called back right before I heard the front door close. I bit back a smile, lying down on my bed and stretching. Edward shouldn't even be in school. He was already trained for his perfect job: professional cockblocker.

_**Edward's POV**_

"That's weird that your battery died. Did you leave your lights on?" Jasper asked inquisitively as he got the cables out of his backpack.

I shrugged, "I don't think so. But I don't know." Jasper hooked the cables to my engine and to his mother's Durango that was always in his garage at home. He gunned the engine, yelling for me to start the Volvo. As it purred to life, my headlights turned on. Jasper laughed as I blushed slightly. Leaving both engines on, we met outside between the two cars.

"Alright, I'm an idiot." I admitted. He shrugged, an amused smile on his face. I titled my head and looked at him a little closer. He seemed so much more happy-go-lucky lately. Always in a good mood. Rationally, I knew that I had Bella to thank for this change in him. Just as that thought reached my head, my phone buzzed in my pocket. Jasper cocked an eyebrow.

"Hot date?" he grinned. I looked down at the screen and my stomach sank a little. _Huh. _

"Something like that." I said, struggling to keep a casual tone. He rolled his eyes at me as I walked about ten yards away to the left of our cars.

"Hello?" I answered, knowing full well who was calling.

"Hey," she said, sounding eager. "I know I said I'd call you when I got into town. I wanted to let you know I'll be by next week, probably on Thursday. You know where I could stay?"

"Yeah," he cleared his throat. "I'm… not sure if it's a good idea that you come by." _What am I doing?!_

There was silence for a few moments before she answered. "What are you talking about? I specifically changed my plans so I could visit Forks for a week or so."

"I'm sorry, I just… things have, um, changed a little since you've been gone."

"With Jasper?" She finally asked, her voice heavy, "Did you tell him I was coming and he freaked out or something?"

"No, I haven't told him. But Maria, he has a girlfriend."

The detail seemed inconsequential to her. "Whatever," she laughed, "Oh god, I thought you were going to say he had a kid or something! Jesus Edward, don't scare me like that!" Before I could respond, I heard some muffled voices on her end, "Ah, I gotta go. Expect me on Thursday. I'll call you. Bye!" The phone clicked, signaling her hanging up on me.

I'd managed to encourage her even more. My sudden, unexpected attack of conscience had only served to make her more determined to get Jasper back, if only for a few days.

I glanced over to my best friend, who was talking animatedly to Emmett. Since he was standing by a street light, I could clearly see the smile on his face. He only smiled like that when he was talking about _her_.

I reasoned with myself as I walked back towards him. This is what I wanted. And I undeniably wanted Bella, if only to get her out of my system. Jasper was better off without her, anyway. He'd find someone else to make him happy. It was the right thing to do. I repeated it to myself as I stood next to my best friend.

_Why do I feel so wrong?_

Chapter End Notes:

Song lyrics are "For Your Misery" by Face Down. Oh no, I foresee some conflict on the horizon! Review review review please!

**Preview of Chapter 11:**

"I can't see why I'd want to listen to anything you have to say, Edward."

"I didn't mean- look, just give me a minute-"

I cut him off as I looked beyond his absurdly messy hair to the cafeteria entrance. I cocked my head to the side, curious. She looked too pretty, too exotic to be trapped in here.

"Who is that?" I asked, forgetting for a moment who I was talking to. He looked from me to her, his face draining of any color. I narrowed my eyes, "Edward, who is that? I can see that you know."

"He sure does." Her voice was clear and high. I turned, surprised at her close proximity. "It's so wonderful to meet you." She said, clasping my right hand in both of hers, "And it'll be even nicer to watch your face when he's mine."


	11. Chapter 11

During my morning walk into Forks High from the parking lot, I managed to:

Receive a menacing glare from Lauren Mallory.

Nip my teeth at Lauren, and laugh as she skittered away.

Cop a feel of my boyfriend's ass.

Get "punished" by said boyfriend in the form of a long, lingering kiss.

Brainstorm on how to be punished again.

The school day went by painfully slowly up until bio, which I spent gawking at my studly lab partner. We'd developed a new game last week: on alternate days, one of us would try to make the other smile as many times as possible during class. It kept the boredom at bay while the teacher droned on about topics that we both already knew. One point was given for each smile, which was defined as an upward turn of the mouth after a heated debate. We would compare each other's scores to see who was better at breaking the other's defenses down. Today was my turn to make Jasper smile, and I was being absolutely shameless.

Even though the weather in Forks was turning steadily colder, I'd worn the same pink tank top under my zip-up sweatshirt that I'd worn the night at the Bronze, when we'd danced and really talked for the first time. I feigned a dramatic sigh, ever-so-slowly shrugging out of my sweatshirt. Jasper turned his head in my direction, smiling slightly at my shamelessness. I bit my lip in victory and eagerly marked on the loose-leaf sheet between us: Bella: I.

He sighed in disapproval, determined not to let another smile slip. I wiggled my head and shoulders back and forth and pursed my lips in an impromptu victory dance. I stopped abruptly as I noticed Edward watching the show, an unreadable expression on his face. I gave him my nastiest glare before tugging my sweatshirt back on. I watched with disbelief as Jasper chuckled, having watched the exchange. I grabbed his pen and wrote:

_You LAUGHED! Double points!_

I triumphantly drew two more slashes by my name. He scowled, taking the pen from my fingers, and wrote:

_Unfair. You didn't even do that on purpose, & Edward contributed._

I smiled winningly after reading his reply, shaking my head at his attempt to weasel me out of my hard-earned points. He gave up, playfully tossing the pen my way in mock-disgust. The bell rang quicker than I'd thought it would. I got up, still celebrating my victory. He sighed.

"Alright baby, you won this time around." He said, flinging the usual arm around my shoulders, "I've gotta go drop by the office real quick, they called yesterday and said they were missing a health form or some shit. See you in a few?"

"Okay." I nodded, accepting the affectionate kiss on my cheek. "See you." He took a right towards the office, and I walked into the cafeteria, daydreaming my favorite daydream: _Jasper and I on the beach, sand between our toes, cool drinks, satin sheets…_

I meandered into the lunch line, still in my own personal heaven…

"I need to talk to you." I frowned in disbelief before turning to see Edward Cullen standing in line behind me.

Lovely.

"Just because we tolerate each other sure as hell doesn't mean we need to talk. About anything." I sent a pointed glare his way, "…Ever."

"You need to listen to me." His voice was confident and assured, and that annoyed me more than it should. I grabbed a slice of square-shaped pizza and scooted down the line, annoyed when he followed me. I impatiently waited for the cashier.

"I can't see why I'd want to listen to anything you have to say, Edward."

"I didn't mean- look, just give me a minute-"

I cut him off as I looked beyond his absurdly messy hair to the cafeteria entrance. I cocked my head to the side, curious. She looked too pretty, too exotic to be trapped in here.

"Who is that?" I asked, forgetting for a moment who I was talking to. He looked from me to her, his face draining of any color. I narrowed my eyes, "Edward, who is that? I can see that you know."

"He sure does." Her voice was clear and high. I turned, surprised at her close proximity. "It's so wonderful to meet you." She said, clasping my right hand in both of hers, "And it'll be even nicer to watch your face when he's mine."

"Uh…" My synapses were only beginning to fire, "Excuse me?"

"Jas-perrr." She said slowly, rolling the R, "I'm sure you've heard of me. Marrria?" She rolled her fucking R again. I put the pieces together and sighed. Jasper had only mentioned her once during one of our lengthy talks, but he hadn't indicated that they'd gone out for a long time.

Suddenly Edward's hesitance and eager, puppy-like desire to talk to me made sense. It couldn't be a coincidence. He'd gotten Jasper's ex back in the picture, and wanted to come off as the good guy by trying to 'warn' me. What a douche. _But then again, what did you expect?_

I blinked, looking from my hand to her squinted almond-shaped eyes. I pinched the palm of one of her hands hard, delighting in the way she gasped before letting go of my hand.

"Lesson one," I smiled, "Jasper is mine." She sneered at me, but I saw a bit of uncertainty in her eyes that I could exploit. _Stupid bitch._ "Lesson two," I pointed to myself, "Don't touch me. God knows what diseases you have." She scoffed, her dark eyebrows sky-high. "And, lesson three…" I grasped Edward's collar (he was one of those douches who kept it "popped", very considerate of him) "You can fuck around with _this_ one all you want."

Edward sputtered as I released him. I rolled my eyes at him, deliberately turning my back on the newcomer.

"Hmmm…" I wondered aloud, idly running my fingers over the selection of salad dressings, "Edward, Ranch or Italian?"

"Bella." The new voice startled me enough to turn around. Hobiscuit-Ex-Girlfriend was looking at him like he was hers.

I wanted to slap her.

Edward was looking from me, to her, to Jasper, his face turning even paler.

Cullen could stand a good slappin', too.

"Hi," Evil-Hell-Bitch cooed, "Jazzy, it's been so long." She held out her arms for a hug.

_If he values his man-parts, he'd better not…_

He looked from her to Edward, his expression darkening at Edward's deer-in-headlights eyes.

"Hey." Jasper muttered, stepping pointedly around her and coming to stand next to me. _Score. _I smiled at the gesture, especially when Wicked-STD-Whore's face fell. Rubbing her face in it, I threaded my arm through his, squeezing his bicep lightly.

"What are you doing here?" His voice was a little shaky. I looked up at his face, concerned.

"I had some free time…" She was attempting to be carefree, but I could see her manipulative plans on her weasel-ish face.

No, she wasn't pretty anymore.

"Uh huh." Jasper replied, eyeing Edward before silence overwhelmed us all again. I realized that we had quite the audience. Newton was behind us in line, but was in no way rushing us. His mouth was wide open, his gaze enraptured. The lunch lady was staring, smacking her lime-colored gum in interest. A line of ten or so wide-eyed freshmen were all together towards the beginning of the line, huddled in deference of our upperclassmen-conflict.

"Shouldn't you be in school?" I broke the silence, eyeing the Bitchy-Fuckface-Intruder. She looked down for a brief moment, and a sharp laugh escaped from me, "You dropped out?" I regarded her for a moment, before grinning, "Makes sense."

"Bella." Jasper's voice was reproving.

"What?" I asked. I knew I was being petulant, but he couldn't really defend her. _Could he?_

He hesitated before tossing a few one dollar bills on the counter and ushering me out of the line. I was clutching onto my tray with one hand, looking at his face again. His expression was normally so serene, especially since we'd started dating. Now he looked troubled. I waited until we sat down at our usual table before I let the question come flooding out.

"What is she doing here?" I asked, digging my flimsy plastic fork into the cardboard-ish pizza. I looked up when it took him more than a few seconds to answer.

"I don't know." He finally confessed, "But I think Edward has something to do with it." He sounded sad. I tried to calm myself, but it wasn't easy. Every instinct I had told me to run back to the line and pull the bitch's hair until she submitted to me and proclaimed me the winner.

"Edward obviously got her here." I couldn't _not _say it, it was too obvious, "He was all trying to talk to me in line, trying to warn me, I guess. When she came in, he didn't look surprised. He just looked guilty. Jesus, she came back for you." I tapped my forehead, "It's not rocket science, baby." I eyed him before returning my attention to my now-mangled pizza.

"I-" He hesitated, as if trying to deny it. I rolled my eyes, irritated at his refusal to admit that she was here for him. Why else would she be? She didn't live here, and Edward might be her only friend in the entire school.

"I'm not…" I couldn't think of the right words, "Trying to be a bitch here." The corner of his lips turned up slightly, which encouraged me to go on, "Really, I'm not. But imagine how I feel here. Do I…" I trailed off, toying with my fork, "Do I need to be worried?"

He looked stricken, "Of course not, Bella." He moved his chair closer to mine and put a comforting arm around my shoulders, "You don't. I'm just… surprised, that's all."

"That's understandable." I murmured, leaning into him.

Edward approached the table, looking very much like a sullen, scolded child. Alice had him by the ear, which was quite a feat, considering the height difference. Rosalie and Emmett were walking behind them, both wearing uncharacteristically serious expressions.

"I'm sorry." Edward blurted out, wincing at Alice's iron grip on his ear.

"For?" Rosalie prompted snidely, settling herself into the chair on my other side.

"Being-an-inconsiderate-jackass-that-is-undeserving-of-my-wonderful-friends-that-put-up-with-my-shit." Edward rattled off the words sarcastically. "Ow!" He huffed as Alice cuffed his ear before releasing him.

"Something tells me he didn't prepare that little speech." I mused with a wry smile as Alice grinned conspiratorially at me. Edward grumbled his assent as he sat down on the opposite side of the table between Emmett and Alice.

"Where's Maria?" I turned my head sharply at Jasper's words. Rosalie looked at him incredulously, and Alice's mouth dropped open. Edward was still cowering, and Emmett looked like he was bracing for World War III. Jasper seemed to realize his mistake and immediately looked apologetic. He reached for my hand under the table and squeezed it.

"She left." Rosalie said, looking at Jasper with contempt for even asking. I was annoyed that he even cared where she went.

"Why do you care?" Edward stole the words from my mouth. He'd managed to get his balls back and was watching Jasper, his expression serious.

"Shut _up _Edward!" Alice and Rosalie's voices rang in unison.

Still, Jasper said nothing.

I let go of Jasper's hand, bringing my hands up to massage my temples.

"Bella…" Jasper reached for me, and I shied away.

_Why can't he just say that she meant nothing? _

_Maybe now that she's back, he's trying to break up with me. _

Overwhelmed and feeling particularly dramatic, I got up from the table and walked out of the cafeteria. I didn't break into tears. I didn't rush out and find somewhere to hide. I just walked, ignoring the voices of my friends. None of them got up to follow me, which definitely would have happened had my life been a Lifetime movie of the week. I also didn't get to brood to an Alanis Morrisette song, which was disappointing.

I leaned up against the hallway adjacent to the gym, breathing slow and measured breaths. This was really no reason to freak out. Sure, he'd fucked girls before me. I knew that. But to be confronted with one that he'd really wanted more from, that he'd dated… it made me feel out of control, and I didn't like that. At all. And the melodramatic girly part of me desperately wanted him to have followed me, to be comforting me right now instead of whatever else he was doing.

I closed my eyes, wishing this problem away. Just this morning, I'd been so happy.

I didn't even register the touch at first. Still not looking, I leaned into the familiar arms.

"Why do you find me when I'm miserable?" I asked, stifling a laugh against his chest. I felt him shrug against me.

"Just lucky, I guess." He mused, pulling back to look at me. His blue eyes were kinder than I deserved. I still felt guilty over being such a shameless tease when we'd first met.

"Lucky, right." I chuckled wryly.

"You okay?" He asked, backing away and sitting up against the wall. He gestured for me to join him, so I sank down next to him, my hands twisting the hem of my jeans.

"Yeah, just a shitty day." I admitted.

"Wanna talk about it?" He asked conversationally. I chanced a look at him and smiled slightly.

"Not really." I answered, looking at my hands. I felt more than saw his relaxed nod, and we sat in a comfortable silence.

"Bella." Jasper turned the corner. He looked upset, almost frantic. He slowed down and approached me and James slowly, looking between us before focusing on me. "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure." I said, accepting his hand as I stood. I smiled slightly at James, who nodded back to me.

We walked together around the corner, to the relative privacy of a U-shaped cluster of lockers.

"Bella, I'm sorry." He said sincerely, drawing me into his arms. I let out the deep breath I'd been holding and squeezed him tightly. He pressed his lips to my cheek, "I'm sorry. It just… she… when she showed up, I was just kind of frozen, I guess. I mean, I never loved her or anything, but she was the only girl before you that I really gave a shit about."

I "Mmmhmm'd" against his shoulder, unwilling to break our embrace.

"You do matter more than her. Alice… _explained _how my words might have been taken." I smirked against his shoulder, knowing Alice's explanation was probably more of a shrieked lecture.

"Okay." I said, too tired to delve into specifics, "But Jasper, please. Don't do anything with her."

"I won't." He answered readily, "I'm with you, Bella. I know we haven't been together really that long, but it feels like it's been longer." I stiffened in his arms, "In a good way." He clarified, laughing slightly at my immediate misinterpretation. I relaxed against him before reluctantly pulling away.

"I know this is irrational, but… please don't see her. Can you promise you won't meet up with her or shit like that? It would mindfuck me." My voice was plaintive. I knew I was being erratically female and silly, but I wanted to put my mind at rest. I held my breath again when it took him exactly five seconds to answer me.

"Of course I won't see her. Anything. I just want you to be happy."

I smiled and planted a long, searing hot kiss on his lips as a reward. He moaned against my mouth, running his hands down my sides before cupping my ass. He lifted me up as I instinctively wrapped my legs around his waist. He pinned me against a locker, the metal bang reverberating in the empty hall. He angled his mouth to mine, striving to be closer and closer, but it was never close enough.

The bell rang for the next class, and we both stilled momentarily.

"Fuck it." Jasper growled against my lips before claiming them again.

The school day was looking up.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I don't own Twilight- S. Meyer does. This is applicable to all chapters of all of my stories. That being said, thank you for your patience, and please review!**

********

**Jasper's POV**

_2 New Text Messages_

I regarded my phone as if it were a fucking bomb. I felt like Jack Bauer as I circled it, pondering what to do. Bella rarely texted me, Edward called me when he had to vent, and Mummy Dearest barely contacted me at all. Plus, I wasn't sure if her dragon claws were even capable of hitting the tiny keys on her phone. So that left one person in all likelihood. Maria.

It was selfish, but I wanted to know what she had to say. _If_ she had anything to say. She was the only girl before Bella that I'd ever had feelings for, and she'd left before either of us had a chance to explore them. I opened the first text message:

_Jazz? Lemme know when you are free…_

I scoffed and immediately knew that tone. Maria was trying to be charming and cute. It worked just fine on me until she skipped town and took what was left of my feelings with her. I scrolled down and opened the second message:

_I'm sorry. I'd like to talk, but if you're not allowed I understand._

"Ahh…" I exhaled, even more frustrated as I tossed my phone on the bed. I was curious. It was okay to be curious, right? I didn't want to bang her. Not in the least. But it hadn't been all romantic; she'd been a pretty decent friend to me back in the day. It wasn't that I missed her so much as I wanted to know what she'd been up to, what she's done and seen.

But she had made the choice for me when she'd talked to Bella that way. Alice and Rose were about to rip my fucking nuts off for even asking about Maria in front of Bella. I get it. If some ex of Bella's came into town and told me he was going to fuck her, I'd probably have done a lot worse. But Bella didn't know Maria, not like I did. She hid behind a curtain of macho domination and female independence, but she really was a nice person when you got to know her.

Maria had been a unique time in my life. Sure I was young, and it only lasted a few months (the romantic part, anyway) but it was incredible. She never even considered going after Edward, and he'd felt the same way. It seemed like it was destiny. I'd "pulled a Cusack" as Edward liked to say, just begging for her to really date me. Part of me wanted to tell Bella this story, to let her see the vulnerable side of Maria.

Then my mind wised up, and told me that saying her name and any positive adjective to my girlfriend would end in me getting bitch slapped.

I'd promised not to see Maria. I'd almost asked Bella to reconsider. I wanted to say that I wanted closure, and that Maria was no threat to what I had with Bella.

Honestly, it didn't even compare.

I felt guilty for even reading her texts. I rationally knew that even doing that might have violated Bella's "don't do anything with her" treaty, but I couldn't help myself. At least I didn't respond… I couldn't.

A loud, _eh-rahr-eh-rahr-EH-RAHRRR_ came warbling into my ear drums. I scowled, realizing Bella had driven herself over here. Even though I didn't want her standing next to that death trap, let alone riding in it. I quickly deleted the texts from Maria, which made me feel like even more of a slimy bastard. But I wanted a peaceful and calm afternoon and night with Bella.

Telling her would only upset her, and it'd be for nothing. 

**Bella's POV**

I spent a peaceful afternoon at Jasper's, talking about anything and everything. I was there for thirty minutes before I realized something…

He wasn't touching me. Like, at all.

I soon remedied that by scooting closer to him on the bed, tangling his fingers with mine. He gave me a lazy smile which I returned, but he seemed distracted. _Hmmph. _

"Favorite color?" I asked, trying to recapture his interest. He laughed.

"Blue, usually. My room when I was little, it was a sky blue color. I loved it." I squeezed his hand, amused at the thought of this classy neutral room being so different in the past.

"I had my room painted purple for a few months." I confessed, "During my Barney phase."

He chuckled, turning on his side to face me, "Oh god, tell me you weren't a Barney girl."

I nodded, and he groaned playfully. "Bella, Bella, Bella…" He sighed, "We are truly star-crossed lovers. I was a Sesame Street kind of kid."

I shrugged, "Do you have to be one or the other?" He gave me a _Duh_ look. I scoffed, unconvinced. "Whatever, I used to watch Lamb Chop religiously, and it didn't interfere with my Barney worship."

"The puppet?" He asked, skeptically. _Oh ye of little Lamb Chop faith._

"It was an awesome show." I countered. He smirked back at me before rolling on his back to stare at the ceiling again. I took a moment to admire him- his nose sloped slightly at the tip, giving his profile a sort of aristocratic feel. I held his hand in both of mine, tilting it slightly as I perused the little details. He had a tiny crescent shaped scar on the knuckle of his thumb. His fingers were slightly rough, probably from toying with his bike. I wanted to tease him and ask him what hard work had made his hands like that, but the joke died in my throat. A little part of me was hesitant. It had only been a few days since the Maria incident. Or, as Alice and Rosalie called it, the evil-bitchmonster-from-hell incident.

Jasper had been quiet after our confrontation at school, and it made me nervous. I knew he wasn't sneaking off to see her. Rationally, I knew that. But I couldn't help but wonder if he _wanted_ to.

"So…" I was determined to keep the awkward silences at bay, "Up for a date night later?"

He turned on his side again, his eyes curious, "Really?"

"Yeah." I was a little cautious, "I mean… it's Saturday, we're a couple… usually dates take place in the evening…" _Oh God, word vomit to the extreme._

He grinned, a blond lock falling into his eyes. I instinctively reached to brush it away, but his hand halted my progress. He twisted my hand lightly in his grasp before pressing a light kiss to my palm.

"I would _love_ to." He promised, making my heart stutter.

My phone buzzed in the pocket of my jeans, and we both groaned. He fished it out quickly, sighing at the name on the display. I fervently hoped it wasn't James- Jasper was always a little petulant whenever he called, and I wasn't in the mood for bickering. I raised my eyebrows, silently asking who was calling.

He offered me the phone, a wry smile on his lips, "It's Alice. I think it's shopping time."

**Alice's POV**

"Does this look like silk to you?" I asked waspishly, tapping my foot in time with the annoying pop song that was playing softly in the background, "Really, does it?"

"Alice." Bella whispered reproachfully, "People are _looking-_"

"Let them look." I told her, my gaze still locked on my prey.

"Ma'am-" The bitchy salesgirl began speaking.

_Oh, hell no._

"Ma'am? How old am I, sixty?" She blanched, most likely regretting her evil, treacherous ways. "Let me tell you sweetie, this is not silk." I held the scarf up to her eye level, "See the sound it makes when I rub it? Like slick vinyl? Real silk sounds completely different. _Please_ don't insult me."

"So what if it isn't real!" She exclaimed, immediately clapping a hand over her mouth in surprise at her outburst. The manager, seeing the scene, immediately descended on us.

"Miss Wells, please excuse her. She's new. Allow me to provide you with our latest selection of _genuine_ silk apparel. Gratis, of course." He spoke smoothly and calmly. I smiled brightly, leaving the offensive garment in his outstretched hands.

"Delivery?" I chirped.

He breathed a sigh of relief, "Also gratis."

"Awesome!" I smiled, blowing a kiss before looping my arm through Bella's and leading her out of the shop.

"Alice…" She moaned, "That was so embarrassing."

"Whatever, that bitch tried to overcharge me for a scarf that wasn't even silk." I allowed my indignation to fade for a moment, and noticed that Bella looked… nervous? "What's wrong?" I asked lightly as we walked through Port Angeles.

She scoffed, "I told you, that was embarrassing." I shook my head at her blatant lie, pulling her to sit with me on a bench that overlooked the shops.

"I don't know why you're lying to me, Bella." I gave her my infamous pout, which she half-smiled at.

"I-" She hesitated, and I pounced.

"You what? Tell me, please."

"It's all the Maria shit. I know she hasn't come back to school, but Jasper's been weird all week. Just spacing out, I guess."

"But you don't even know if he's thinking about that." I thought aloud, my own worries beginning to swirl in my mind, "It could be anything else."

"If it is, the timing sucks." Her voice was lower and sadder than normal. I didn't like it.

"Maybe you should ask him." I suggested, and she rolled her eyes.

"Oh yeah, _hey baby, you know that girl you said you wouldn't have anything to do with? So…. You haven't done anything, right?_"

"You think he's seeing her?" I asked, shock in my voice. She shook her head slowly.

"No…" She began, "But I think he might want to, and it bugs the fuck out of me."

"You just have to trust him." I asserted, trying to cheer her up, "I know it's rough, but if he wanted to be with her, he would be. And he's so happy when he's around you, Bella. Seriously, it's like he's a different person sometimes." I reached down and grasped her fingers in mine, squeezing them. She smiled, looking at the ground.

"I love him. I mean, I think I do." She blurted out, looking into my eyes uncertainly.

"Wow." I said before smiling back at her, "That's great, Bella."

"Not great if he doesn't love me back." She acknowledged, leaning back to look at the setting afternoon sun, "We're hanging out tonight."

"Are you going to tell him?"

"I don't know. I just… it feels like it would be right."

"Miss Bella…" I smirked mischievously, "Are we talking about a declaration of love, or S-E-X?"

She laughed, and I once again praised my uncanny ability to banish icky feelings.

"Maybe both?" She waggled her eyebrows, and I squealed.

**Bella's POV**

I knocked on the door to Jasper's house, wondering why I was even knocking. He always said I was free to come and go as I pleased, but I felt like tonight was different. I heard footsteps echo down the stairs before he threw the front door open. I gave him a winning smile which he echoed, gesturing that I come inside.

"You drove again." He chastised as he took me in his arms, "I told you I'd pick you up." He sounded put-out. He and the girls had all waged war against my truck. Not that I had love for it, but it got me where I wanted to go.

"I wanted to surprise you." I explained, "So… surprise!" He laughed.

"Did you eat dinner?" He inquired. I nodded.

"Good, I did too. So, what do you want to do? Movie?" He asked, leading me upstairs. This wasn't all that unusual. We almost always hung out in there. But the significance of going to his room where his bed was wasn't lost on my mind, which was already plotting the rest of the night.

We laid down on his bed like usual, exchanging slow, relaxed kisses. My nerves and lust combined as I pulled him to lay on top of me, feeling adored and cherished under his weight. Our kisses quickly turned fiery and needy. I broke away first, panting. He kissed my cheek before peppering small kisses on the side of my neck and collarbone. He propped himself up on his arms and slowly kissed his way down.

"You're so beautiful." He breathed onto my stomach, brushing feather-light kisses across my navel and gently hiking up my dress. His eyes widened momentarily at my lack of panties. I granted him an impish smile, and the sexy smirk I got in return only turned me on more. Those talented fingers danced their way across my flesh, eliciting a delicious tingling sensation that had me squirming and writhing on top of the covers. He smiled at me before nuzzling his nose against my heat. I inhaled a deeply before my breathing turned ragged once again. He lowered his perfect lips to my clit, licking and caressing.

"Please." I moaned after a minute or so, "Please, I _need_ you."

His eyes burned with promise, and he slowly kissed his way back up my body, slowly lifting my dress over my head. He threw it casually over his shoulder, his eyes focused solely on me. I traced my nails along his biceps, tugging on his shirt in a not-so-subtle command to take it off. He chuckled, peeling it off and also shrugging out of his jeans.

_Yum._

No words were said as he pressed his hard length up against me. I bit my lip at the surge of pleasure, gyrating slightly in an attempt to get more.

"Are you sure?" His voice was low, gravelly in need. I nodded because my voice wouldn't work. He guided himself inside of me, slowly and deliberately. I hissed in pleasure and a little bit of pain as he stretched and filled me completely. That sensation was nothing to what happened when he began to move against me. We were perfectly in sync… no awkward fumbling, as I'd come to expect from past experiences.

He pulled me close, driving himself deeper while still maintaining our fiercely constant eye contact. He was too close and much too far away. I gripped his toned shoulders tightly, my fingers digging into him as my back began to arch with every thrust. His eyes were so expressive, glinting in the candlelight. I gasped at the amount of feeling he managed to convey without any words at all.

The silence was only accompanied by our sighs and soft moans.

"Bella…" He said quietly, his eyes closing in ecstasy.

"I'm close." I murmured, our frenzied pace increasing.

"Ungh…" He moaned, burying his head in between my neck and shoulder, "Come for me, baby. Come for me." He muttered against my skin. That was all it took. My vision blurred and I cried out, arching my back and hurdling over the edge. His answering shout sounded muffled against my skin, and he rested limply in my arms, his muscles twitching.

He rolled over slowly, immediately drawing me into his side. He wound one arm around my bare waist, petting my hair softly with the other.

_Tell him. Now. Tell him._

"Jasper." I said softly, looking up at his face.

"Yeah?" He asked, emotion heavy in his eyes as he smiled at me. My heart thudded in my chest as I realized how much I loved him. And how I couldn't stand it if he didn't feel it, too.

So I just smiled, cuddling into his side and sighing contentedly. His arm tightened around me, and he pressed a firm kiss to the top of my head. It could wait. It would have to.


	13. Chapter 13

**Bella's POV**

"You're here!" I beamed, looping my arms around his neck. He laughed, gripping me around my waist and swinging me slightly.

"Here I am." He smiled, leaning down to capture my lips with his.

"Mmm…" I rumbled happily into the kiss, sighing in happiness, "It's been so long." I said into his lips. He laughed.

"Bella, we were at school forty minutes ago."

"Pfft." I scoffed, "Semantics." I tugged on his arm, eager for our usual daily alone time.

"The Chief isn't here?" He asked, like he had nearly every day for the month we'd been together. It always made him nervous to come over here. He was used to a parentless household, so the prospect of rules and restraint were somewhat foreign to him.

"Nope, he called. Working late, and then most likely going over to McWhore's house." I tilted my head in the direction of Tanya and James' house. "We're all alone." I smiled seductively, "And baby, I feel like… I need… I'm not sure how to say this-" I bit my lip, acting nervous.

"What?" He asked, curious. "You can tell me."

"I thought we could play a game." I finally said, playing up my bashful side. He looked extremely interested.

"Really?" He croaked, watching my teeth grazing my lower lip.

"Mmmhmm." I sighed, running my fingers through his short curls, "I read about it in Cosmo. It's a little… exotic. I won't be mad if you say no." I sighed wistfully, "But it would be so amazing if you said yes…"

"What is the game?" He asked, getting impatient with me. I could feel his erection against my thigh between us, and I leaned in, my lips on the shell of his ear.

"It's called… chess." I leaned back, smirking, and he scoffed in disbelief.

"Aw, now you're gonna get it…" I giggled at his empty threat, jumping back out of his grasp and crouching behind the couch. He mock-growled, stepping towards me, "Baby girl, you're in for it…" Damn it, he was employing the drawl in full-force.

I pouted as I heard his phone buzz from his pocket. I peeked over the edge of the arm of the sofa and watched as he grinned at me before glancing at the screen. His expression turned serious before he looked from me to it, and smiled apologetically before stepping out of the room. I sighed, disappointed at the abrupt end to our game. I heard his voice rumbling from the next room, and got up to sit on the couch and wait for him. He came back in a minute later.

"What is it?" I asked, my smile faltering at his expression, "What's wrong? Is someone hurt?"

He cleared his throat, "No… no, no one's hurt." He reached and rubbed the back of his neck like it hurt. I looked from the phone in his hand to him, my questions clearly written on my face. He took another breath, "It's Maria."

Well, I wasn't expecting that. I tried to push down the immediate rush of anger I felt at her name on his lips. It had been weeks since her little escapade in the cafeteria, and all the awkwardness and tension was gone. Looks like it's back. I spoke slowly, "Besides the fact that you shouldn't have even answered her call-" He flinched, "What about her?"

"She's at a party- everyone's drunk, and she's afraid to ask anyone there for a ride."

I scoffed, standing up to face him, "Okay, number one: it's four o'clock in the afternoon, and she's at a party. Ignoring the fact that that's complete bullshit, tell her to call a cab."

"Bella, she called me. I should go." He tilted his head slightly, regarding me, "It doesn't mean anything like that. It's just like when I picked up Edward."

"Oh my God." My eyes widened in incredulity, "This is nothing like going to rescue Edward."

"This is exactly the same. Edward's my friend, and so is she."

"Really?" I fumed, "Did you fuck Edward too?"

He shook his head, reaching out to me. I took a step back, and he looked stricken.

"I can't believe how ridiculous you're being. I'm with you. Isn't that enough?"

"What about your promise to me, huh?" My voice escalated in volume, trembling, "You _promised _you wouldn't see her. What, it goes out the window once _she_ calls? God!" I took a deep breath, looking at the ceiling in frustration.

"Look." His voice was low and calm, like he was talking to a child. It only stirred my anger more, "I know I said I wouldn't have anything to do with her, and that was a mistake. She needs help, I'm her friend. It's as simple as that."

"What other promises will you break for her?" I asked in a venomous tone, almost not recognizing my own voice.

He shook his head again, scoffing at the floor, "Bella, please. C'mon. Don't make this a big deal."

"It is a big deal." I insisted, "And you're starting a fight over another girl. How is that supposed to make me feel, Jasper?"

"I'm not choosing anyone over you." The first hints of anger were in his voice, and I felt a sick sort of satisfaction that I'd made him feel anything, "She needs help, and I'm going. Come with me, and then you'll see there's nothing going on."

I knew he was trying to offer an olive branch. I knew it. But the fact that he was compromising for her was too much.

"You're going, huh? So what I want doesn't matter?" My voice was quiet now.

"Bella." He said my name softly, "Don't do this."

I sat down again, lightly placing my head in my hands. "What exactly am I doing?"

"Don't make me choose between you and a friend." From his voice, he was still standing stiffly in the doorway.

"If you felt the same way about me that I feel about you, it wouldn't even be a choice." I knew I sounded dead, defeated. He'd already made his choice, and if he'd chosen me he'd be gathering me in his arms by now.

My mind chastised me mercilessly. _He doesn't love you. You made yourself vulnerable, and he doesn't feel the same way. You're an idiot._

"You're seeing things that aren't there, Bella. C'mon, you're being irrational." I could hear him take one step closer to me, his breathing shallow and quick.

"It's me or her, Jasper."

I didn't want to do it, but I had to draw the line somewhere. I internally begged him to choose me, but the sinking feeling in my stomach refused to relent.

"Look, I'm going to go pick her up and drop her off. Then I'm coming back here, and we'll talk this out." He sounded so sure, so confident that he would get his way. That he'd get everything he wanted. Too afraid to make a choice… even for me.

"You're a coward." I said, my voice low and strained, "And if you walk out the door, don't come back."

"You don't mean that." His voice shook slightly, the only sign that I meant anything to him at all.

The first, fat tear rolled down my cheek, where I hastily wiped it away.

"I do."

I waited, and the silence hung heavy in the air for a few moments. The resulting sound of my front door slamming made me flinch. I impulsively stood up, my bare feet shuffling against my will to the door. I peeked out the window, my heart in my throat as I watched the Durango speed away. I turned and leaned my back against the cool door, sinking down until I was seated. I gathered my knees under my elbows, bowed my head, and cried.

**Jasper's POV**

I stewed all the way over to address in Port Angeles that Maria had described. She'd been in tears, almost hysterical on the phone. How could I not help? Bella just didn't understand. I couldn't in good conscience leave her there alone. Bella just saw Maria as this evil bitch, but I knew that I wouldn't be worth anything at all if I let a friend get hurt because of her jealousy.

I'd debated leaving when I did, but I saw that nothing new could be said. I would go get Maria, drop her off wherever, warn her to call someone else next time, then drive back and fix things with Bella. It wasn't really over. She was just pissed, understandably pissed, but pissed nonetheless.

I pulled into the driveway, immediately spotting the lack of cars here. I lowered the Durango's window, beckoning to a girl who'd just walked out of the house.

"Is there a party in there?" I asked, my stomach sinking.

She looked confused before she giggled, "Party? Oh yeah, party. Um, are you looking for Maria?" She giggled and called out the name I was beginning to curse.

I abruptly got out of the car, rage making my steps come quicker. Maria ran out of the house, smiling at me.

"You're here!" She said happily, and my stomach churned even worse at the contrast of what Bella had said to me just an hour before.

"What the fuck." I finally said, watching the scene around me. Two other trashy-looking girls were peering out of the windows, openly giggling. "This is a party?"

"Sure, I bring the party, you know." She laughed, reaching to touch my shoulders. I took a step back, aghast.

"You lied." The words sounded foreign on my tongue, "You fucking lied to me." I knew she was a bitch, but she'd never lied to me before, not even when we were together.

She shrugged, "I got you here, didn't I?" She took another step towards me and I took another step back.

"Never call me again. Don't try to see me, don't ask about me. Pretend I don't fucking exist. If you weren't a woman, you'd be on the floor right now." I seethed, not sparing her a glance as I climbed back in the car and gunned the engine. I heard her muffled shout as I drove away, the tires squealing. I pulled over in another neighborhood, taking the keys from the ignition. I stared blankly through the windshield, the ramifications of what I'd done only now coming clear.

I ruined everything.

**James' POV**

I pulled up in my driveway, already dreading tonight's awkward "family" dinner. Still, practice was over and I had nowhere else to go, so I might as well go home. Charlie's awkwardness worked to Bella's advantage in that he was too afraid to insist that she eat with us, so she usually skipped out. Usually with Jasper, too, which was a nice way to rub salt in my fucking wounds. A little part of me was thankful, though, that my romantic feelings for her hadn't gone beyond a simple crush. And if a guy was deserving of Bella, it probably was Jasper.

At least it wasn't our local fuckface, Edward.

Bella and I had actually grown to be real friends in the short time that she'd been here. It was hard to believe she'd only been here since September. It was approaching Halloween, and I wanted to ask her what Halloween parties she was going to. Of course there's a little romantic undertones, but… well, she's beautiful and awesome and _fuck_ you Jasper Hale, you lucky bastard. Still, I didn't want to make things awkward for her, so any crush I had was mostly gone. It was strange to have a female friend. I'd never really had one before, just conquests and bitter ex-girlfriends.

I opened the front door and cautiously looked around. I'd walked in on Charlie and my mother once, which was one time too many. They were a completely weird and mismatched couple, but then again what did I know? I breathed a sigh of relief as I smelled the air. Tomato sauce and garlic tickled my nostrils, and I approached the kitchen, my stomach rumbling.

"Hi baby." Mom cooed, waving over the boiling pot of broccoli. Charlie nodded to me from his spot at the kitchen table. I nodded back, slinging my backpack on the counter and looking over my mother's shoulders.

"What's for dinner?" I asked, even though I could see it was broccoli, noodles, tomato sauce and chicken. It was a ritual of sorts, and if I didn't ask, she'd tell me anyway.

"Baked chicken, ziti, and vegetables." My mother answered, winking at Charlie as she said it. He blushed in a way that was _much _more appealing on his daughter. _I don't even wanna know why he's blushing._

"James, go see if Bella's home and ask her to supper, will you?" My mother asked, peeking into the oven. I nodded and gave Charlie a mock-salute before I ran out the back door. There weren't any lights on at the Swan house, so she must be either out with Jasper or sleeping. Since I wasn't eager to return to the awkward kitchen, I knocked on the door.

"Bella!" I called, knocking loudly. I twisted the door knob habitually, and frowned when it opened. Bella knew never to leave the door unlocked. It was one of Charlie's overprotective rules that she always followed. I opened it slowly, flicking on the entryway lights. "Bella?" I called her name again.

A sniffle to my right had me whirling around. My heart pumped with adrenaline as I spun around and saw her. She was wearing the same jeans and t-shirt that she'd worn to school, sitting against the wall. Her eyes were bleary and her cheeks stained with mascara. Her nose and ears were bright pink, and her lips were trembling.

"Turn off the light." Her voice was rough, "Please."

I nodded, "Okay." I reached and flicked off the light before slowly sitting next to her, my hunger forgotten. "What…" I was going to ask what happened, but she dissolved into a new round of tears. I instinctively opened my arms to her and she fell into them, her fingers clutching my shirt and her head on my shoulder.

"It hurts so much." She whimpered into my shoulder. I could feel the wet spot her tears were already making. I held her tighter, rubbing one hand up and down her arm slowly.

"Shh." I soothed, wondering what Jasper had done, and how I could make him hurt for this.

**Edward's POV**

"You're in a shitty mood." I observed, watching as he bounded into the kitchen and grabbed Esme's beloved Southern Comfort. He glared irately at me before unscrewing the cap, bringing the bottle to his lips and chugging. "Whoa…" I approached him cautiously, "Take it easy on the Comfort there." I took the bottle from his grasp slowly, nodding my head once towards the marble-topped island. He sat at a stool before bringing his head to his hands, his fingers tugging at the blond roots of his hair.

I silently poured a shot for him, topping it with a splash of lime juice before sliding it across the marble. Slightly gay, but he wasn't in the condition to call me out for my excellent bartending skills. He took it and downed it without a word, slamming it back on the island and pushing it back for another. _Greedy fucker._

I complied, pouring another and sending it his way. He took it but kept the shot glass in his hand, his knuckles turning white.

I cleared my throat, "You okay?"

He chuckled, his head wobbling, "No, man. No."

I stayed quiet, trying to think of any other time that I'd seen him like this.

I couldn't think of one.

I knew something had happened, but I had to ask. "Bella?" Her name was like a catalyst. His eyes turned slightly wild, and for a second I was actually scared of my best friend. It was over almost as soon as it began, and he looked calm again. Dead.

"I fucked it up." He said, "It's over."

That should have had me jumping for joy. It is what I wanted, after all. But I felt bad.

"I fucked it up." He repeated, looking at me straight in the eyes for the first time since he got here.

"Yeah." I said quietly, my expression blank. He reached for the bottle, and I gave it to him.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews. Also sorry for the mix-up with last chapter. I went back and forth trying to un-italicize the first portion, but no matter what editing I did/new versions I uploaded, it wouldn't be fixed. So Jesus apparently wants that part italicized… so be it ;o) Anyway, please review if you want a speedy update!**

**Rosalie's POV**

Alice knocked primly on the door, pausing only a few seconds before rapping sharply on it again. I rolled my eyes as she twisted the door knob, scowling when she found it locked. It was the end of what Alice dubbed "nuclear fucking fallout" week. Everyone knew the story by now. Jasper was like a walking zombie at school, and Bella wasn't even at school. James told us Charlie preferred to call her in sick than actually talk to her.

She refused to answer anyone's calls. James came and saw her once a night, bringing her dinner and making her eat a little. He gave us daily updates during lunch while fixing Jasper with unneeded glares. I was all for some proxy-vengeance, but Jazz already looked like someone had tortured his puppy. Alice gave in to James' demands that Bella be left alone for the week, since it was what she wanted. Alice drew the line at leaving Bella alone on the weekend, however, and since it was Friday afternoon she figured that James wouldn't be pissy over it.

Halloween was tomorrow, and all the girls were going to a party at the Bronze. Alice had ambushed Edward and made him promise to take Jasper somewhere else for the night. She thought it could be a perfect healing opportunity for Bella. I was drawn out of my thoughts by Alice as she started fumbling around the yard, turning over rocks.

"What are you doing?" I asked, dubiously watching as she kept turning shit over.

"James told me that Charlie has one of those hide-a-key things." She muttered, squealing when she discovered the fake rock with the key inside. She quickly unlocked the door before barreling up the stairs. I followed, hesitant at the thought of how pissed Bella would be.

"Bella!" Alice chirped from outside her bedroom door, "We're coming in!"

All we heard was a groan and a muffled, "Go away."

Alice adorned her best "bitch please" expression before opening the door. Bella grumbled and dove under the covers as Alice opened the blinds on her windows before turning back to the bed.

"I don't think retail therapy can fix this, Ali." I noted, my eyes narrowing as I watched Bella burrow further under the covers.

Alice raised an eyebrow at me before pulling Bella's duvet off and dragging her feet towards us.

"Let go!" Bella shrieked, clinging to the headboard like it was a life line.

"You... need... to... get.... up…" Alice huffed, tugging as Bella kicked out her feet in protest, "And... come.... to... the... mall-"

"Stop!" Bella shouted, finally twisting to face us. I took an unneeded breath and I flinched at Alice's immediate gasp. Subtlety was not her strong suit.

Bella's face was splotchy and red. Her bottom lip was puffed out as she looked us both down, daring us to say something. I wondered for a moment what to say next. I'd never really had my heart broken. I didn't want to say the wrong thing and offend her, or cause her to freak out more.

"Look." Alice went straight to business, "Halloween is tomorrow. We are going out. We are having fun. We are forgetting boys-"

"That's not such a sacrifice for you." I interjected with a snort, making Bella crack a small smile.

Alice gave me her patented "_Must_-you-mention-I'm-a-lesbian-at-every-turn?" glare before continuing on with her speech, "…And Bella, you are going. I've given you healing time, but enough is enough. You need a costume or therapy, and since I'm not licensed for shit, it's costume time." She pulled back the covers with a final tug as Bella flopped back onto the bed, sighing.

"I'm going to start the shower." Alice said, smirking triumphantly before leaving us alone. I tentatively laid down next to Bella.

"He's a wreck." I said, staring at the tiny cracks in the ceiling.

"Good." She said bluntly, and I loved her a little more for it. Any other girl might have lied and said that she didn't care. At least she was honest.

"I hate that I feel this way." She finally said, "I hate it. I feel like a walking cliché, which really honestly sucks, because I didn't see this coming. I didn't. I fell in love for the first time, and I chose a complete bastard to love." She sucked in a ragged breath before turning on her side to face me. I rolled over and impetuously grabbed her hand, squeezing it.

"Maybe you could talk to him?" I suggested. She scoffed, and I knew I had my answer. But I still had to try, because Alice wouldn't. "Look, Jazz can be stupid, but everyone knows he loves you. Why else would he be acting this way? I heard from Edward that Jasper blew Maria off, Bella. She left town."

"She's not the point." Bella maintained, letting go of my hand and going to sit in front of her vanity mirror. "I look hot." She deadpanned, running a few fingers through her tangled hair. I waited, restraining the need to shake her and ask her what the point was. She rewarded me after a few moments, "He didn't believe me. He treated me like I was a stupid, jealous little girl. And when it came down to it, I wasn't enough to keep him there."

I had nothing to say; I couldn't defend him. "He made a mistake." I said, because it was all I had. I loved Bella, really I did, but I also had a soft spot for Jasper. Anyone with eyes could see how he looked at her with so much love and adoration. That coupled with the devastating shell he'd been this past week at school was enough to convince me.

Bella's eyes met mine in the mirror briefly, "Yeah, he sure did."

Alice came skipping- literally- back into the room, and I sighed as Bella let herself be dragged towards the steaming water.

**Alice's POV**

I'd practically wrestled Bella into the shower. I was happy. She let me blow dry her hair and even put some mascara and lip gloss on her before she waved me away. We walked out to Rose's car in silence. Bella sat in the backseat, leaning back against the headrest.

"Cheer up, Bells. It'll be okay. There's this hot little costume shop in Port Angeles. A little skanky, but what else is Halloween for, right?" Rose gave me a pointed look that told me I was babbling. The silence in the car was awkward. What was I supposed to say? _Hey, Bella, sorry your heart was broken._ I forced myself to stop before turning on the radio.

"… _I don't wanna close my eyes! I don't wanna fall asleep 'cause I miss you baby, and I don't wanna miss a thing-"_

"Eep!" I squealed, hurriedly pressing another number on the presets.

"… _And you really love me underneath it all-"_

"Oh my _God!_" I punched another button.

"… _After all, you're my wonderwall-"_

"Fuck!" I shouted, fumbling to turn off the radio completely. Blushing slightly, I saw that Rose was chuckling so hard tears were in her eyes. Bella was biting back a smile, giggling to herself. I started to laugh too, feeling the tension dissolve.

"Alice." Bella sounded plaintive, "Can I please skip the Halloween party? We can still go shopping. I just don't feel- I don't think I can-"

"It's okay." I surrendered, and she looked relieved and surprised, "But I'm still buying you a skanky outfit to be worn very soon, missy."

Bella exhaled, closing her eyes again, "Agreed."

**Bella's POV**

I was finally thinking clearly. It only took a week or so of me being a pitiful hermit. Shopping with Alice and Rose had helped. James' visits had helped even more. What made the decision even easier was the fact that Jasper hadn't come back. No calls, no visits, no grand romantic gestures. I had a sneaking suspicion that James might have threatened him to stay away, but even that wasn't an excuse. Rose told me that Jasper knew he'd made a mistake. He had a shitty way of showing it.

I smacked my cheeks lightly in the bathroom at school. I was alone for the first time since Alice and Rose had ambushed me on Friday. They'd both decided to ditch the party at the Bronze and sleep over at my house. When they finally left, James took their place. I appreciated that they wanted to make me feel surrounded by warm and cozy emotions, but I also needed to just feel it. I needed catharsis… I needed to make myself realize that I'd fallen in love with a person who didn't deserve it.

English had gone by painfully slowly. Everyone was ogling me, and it was then that I knew the story of me and Jasper was widespread and now gossip fodder for the entire school. I walked into Biology with forced confidence knowing that I'd probably see him there. The relief I felt when I saw our lab table empty was almost palpable. I approached the teacher, who was shuffling papers at the table in front.

"I'd like to change lab partners, please." I said, "I can't work with Jas-" Even saying his name made my skin twitch, "Mr. Hale anymore."

The teacher's eyes widened slightly, probably wondering what Jasper had done to make me want to leave. "Of course, Miss Swan. I'll assign you another lab partner." I nodded impatiently, shifting back and forth in my sneakers.

"Mr. Cullen?" The teacher called out, and I froze, "Can you come up here?"

I eyed the heavens, inwardly asking _"Why me?"_

"Sure." I heard Edward's smooth voice before he appeared beside me, his eyes flickering over me momentarily before looking away.

"You're the only student working alone. A situation has come up- would you be able to partner with Miss Swan for the remainder of the school year?" The teacher smiled. He was fucking _beaming _at his genius solution. "Assuming it's alright with Miss Swan, of course."

"I… um…" Edward stuttered, looking at me and back to the teacher. I smirked slightly at how uncomfortable this was making him. Now, my decision was this: months partnered with the man who broke my heart and proceeded to stomp on it mercilessly, or months working with the guy who I imagined castrating in many a free moment.

_Tough call. _

"I'd prefer to work with Edward." I finally said. The teacher smiled and Edward's unfairly chiseled jaw dropped slightly.

"Ah… it's fine with me." He finally muttered before doing an about-face and walking back to his lab table. _Our_ lab table. Wonderful.

I gave a small smile to the teacher in thanks before following Edward, dropping my messenger bag on the floor between us. I sat down and rolled my eyes when I caught him watching me like I was about to start flying around the room. I looked from his eyes to the incomplete worksheet on the table. I could feel my eyes drooping closed slightly. The lack of sleep of the past few days was definitely catching up with me.

"I'm gonna take a quick nap." I said, "Just scream or something and wake me up when you're halfway through. I'll do the rest." It was only fair. He seemed surprised to hear me speak at all before he nodded sharply and started scribbling on the worksheet. I cushioned my head down on my arms and tried to let myself drift off.

I woke to my shoulder being poked. I grumbled irritably before squinting as a dash of color passed through my peripheral vision. Edward and his forest green shirt were hightailing it out of the class, most likely out of fear that I'd bite him for touching me.

_To be fair, that fear probably isn't completely unfounded._

I started when I realized that the rest of the students were filing out. It was the end of class. Edward hadn't woken me to do my part of the worksheet. I closed my eyes in frustration, wondering what sort of shit he'd put on the part I was supposed to do. Our first day as partners and he was already trying to sabotage me? Great.

I gathered my bag and smiled at the teacher, charming as always, "Can I see our worksheet? I wanted to make sure Edward used the right scale when he was identifying his portion."

"Ah." The teacher smiled, "Sure, take a look." I took the proffered piece of paper and quickly looked it over. Both of our names, and… complete, 100% correct work. He hadn't even made me do my part. _Huh._

It did nothing to ease my massive loathing for the guy, but still… that was unexpected.

I turned the worksheet back in and walked through the halls, aimlessly trying to focus my thoughts. The dull murmur of conversations around me suddenly halted, and I paused and looked up to find the source of the silence. My eyes clashed with Jasper's, and I immediately took a self-preserving step backwards. At least two dozen classmates were all watching us with rapt fascination.

"Hey." He said. He did look… unkempt. His clothes were rumpled and his hair… well, his hair was an absolute mess. He looked tired. Good. I hadn't had a decent night of sleep for the past week. Why should he? I started to walk away, ignoring our audience.

"I just want to talk to you." He pleaded, keeping in step with me.

"I don't." I retorted, walking quicker in hopes that he'd just leave me alone.

"I'm sorry I missed Bio." He said, and I couldn't believe of all the things he could say, that was it. "I'll do all the work next time to make up for it."

I smiled wryly, the opportunity too good to pass up, "Don't worry about it. I have a new partner now."

I wanted to slap the look of hurt off his face. He had no right to look at me like that after the way he'd humiliated me. It wasn't enough that he'd chosen her over me; he had to tell everyone I liked in this town what happened. The only person I'd told was James, and I know he didn't tell anyone. Alice and Rose had come to him, not vice versa. Now everyone except for my friends looked at me like I was the freaky new-girl leper that broke poor Jasper's heart. And my friends looked at me like I was about to have a mental breakdown.

_Thanks so much for that, Jasper. Dick._

"Who? Angela?" He asked as I fiddled with my locker. He was standing much too close. I chanced a look up at him and immediately looked away, flustered. He was leaning down, his eyes- a very light blue today- too close to mine. I unceremoniously shoved my books in my locker before slamming it shut with a bang. He jumped slightly and I walked a few steps away from him.

"Actually, Edward's my new partner." I said, no expression on my face. His look of surprise and muted pain did nothing to ease the ache in my chest. I turned and walked away.

**A/N: Lyrics to the songs are from (in order): "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" by Aerosmith, "Underneath It All" by No Doubt, and "Wonderwall" by Oasis. **

**Teaser for Chapter 15: Edward and Drunk!Bella**

I sidled up to her at the bar, watching warily as she greedily sucked a lime before tossing it over her shoulder. I waited for her to acknowledge me. She turned to me and scowled, her perfect lips drawn into a pout and her eyes squinting. Her hair was in disarray, and she blew a piece of it out of her face.

"What are you doing here?" She said, her voice low. Like she was trying to scare me. _Pffft._

"It's a free country." I said smugly, gesturing to the others in the bar. She scoffed.

"Whatever, go away. I hate you, kind of a lot. Now, shoo!" She flicked her wrist at me, like she expected me to fly away. I rolled my eyes.

"Sorry, Swan. You want me to leave, you're gonna have to make me."

**Review!**


	15. Chapter 15

I know I received some reviews/PMs that were upset about this story turning into a typical Edward/Bella fic. I can promise with all certainty that this is not the case. Things will get messy and lines will be blurred, but I'd like to think that most mistakes can eventually be corrected. I won't put up a "THEN EDWARD N BELLA TOTES GET MURRIED N JAZPRS LIKE WTF" ending.

Is that vague? Yes. Am I tease? Oh, yes. But that's all you're getting from me now, so please trust that I know what I'm doing and that almost all of you will like the ending I have planned, or at least parts of it (there I go teasing again…. :D)

**WARNING: **This chapter ends in a **CLIFFHANGER**! If you will hate me and rush my house with torches for not knowing what happens next, wait till this weekend when I (hopefully) update with the next chapter to read this one.

As always, I'm not Stephenie Meyer and I own nothing.

*****

_Without you, the eyes gaze, the legs walk, the lungs breathe_

_The mind churns, the heart yearns_

_The tears dry without you_

_Life goes on, but I'm gone_

-"Without You", Rent

**Bella's POV**

Weeks passed. The weather got colder. I had a set routine: go to school, go to classes, go home, hang out with James, Rosalie or Alice, then go to sleep. Charlie was barely ever home. I dropped at least ten pounds unintentionally. I wasn't trying to not eat. I was just never hungry. Two weeks after Halloween James hauled off and made me start coming to our nightly "family" dinners at Tanya's. I gained a little weight back, which pacified him and the girls.

School was the same. Jasper stopped trying to talk to me. I still caught him looking at me pretty often. Biology was like a melodramatic reality show- Jasper worked alone and I could feel his eyes burning in the back of my head whenever I worked with Edward. Not that I stopped to turn around. Edward and I worked together well, granted that he didn't try to engage me in conversation.

Lunch was awkward. Our table was like a country post-war. Jasper, Emmett and Edward would mostly talk to each other. Rosalie and Alice would refrain from talking to Jasper in front of me out of a show of loyalty, which I thought was silly but nice of them. I truly didn't care who talked to Jasper, as long as it wasn't him talking to me.

I was currently at home, pondering what to do tonight. Alice and Rose had invited me to go to Seattle with them for a weekend spa trip, but I just wasn't up to it. Then Alice offered the use of her house to me for the weekend. I appreciated that so much, because while Charlie was an absentee parent, he still made sure I was home at night. I wanted a night to do whatever I pleased with no parental supervision. I was thinking that that included getting a few drinks and passing out at Alice's. Yes, that sounded like a solid plan. A night of catharsis. I wanted to knock myself out of this funk before the break-up ruined the rest of my senior year. I left a note at the house for Charlie saying that I was spending the night at Alice's. Technically, I was. He just didn't know I'd be alone.

I left the house in only my tank top and jeans, ignoring the cool November weather. It was the weekend before Thanksgiving break… the air was chilly and nipped at my exposed skin. I parked my truck inconspicuously in the crowded strip mall parking lot before jogging over to the Bronze.

**Edward's POV**

I watched with the eyes of a predator as she downed another shot. I shook my head, extricating a random slut from my lap as I walked towards her. Maybe she was drunk enough to not rip my head off when I spoke to her. And why was she here, alone? I thought she'd gone on that weekend getaway with Alice and Rose.

I sidled up to her at the bar, watching warily as she greedily sucked a lime before tossing it over her shoulder. I waited for her to acknowledge me. She turned to me and scowled, her perfect lips drawn into a pout and her eyes squinting. Her hair was in disarray, and she blew a piece of it out of her face.

"What are you doing here?" she said, her voice low. Like she was trying to scare me. _Pffft._

"It's a free country," I said smugly, gesturing to the others in the bar. She scoffed.

"Whatever, go away. I hate you, kind of a lot. Now, shoo!" She flicked her wrist at me, like she expected me to fly away. I rolled my eyes.

"Sorry, Swan. You want me to leave, you're gonna have to make me." I popped a peanut from the nearby tray in my mouth and immediately regretted it. It tasted like stale salt and most likely some undiscovered disease. She motioned Jeff for another shot, and he looked too scared to refuse. She grabbed it from his hands and turned to me, scowl still firmly in place.

"Do you hear me, Eduardo? Do you heeeaaar me? I couldn't give two shits about you, poor little rich boy." She slammed back another shot, making a sour face as she smacked the glass back on the table. She leveled her gaze with me once more, her eyes watery and hazy.

"Why?" She asked, sounding like she was in despair. I wanted to be a jerk per usual and ask what she meant, but I knew.

"I don't know," I said, honestly. I looked at my hands, unable to bear her fierce stare.

"Tell me something. Anything," she began, "did your parents beat you? Yell at you? Ignore you? Any… traumatic-ish childhood things? You gotta give me something, Edward. Why were you such an asshole?"

"I don't know." I said, pissed off and guilty. I ordered a shot of bourbon and downed it quickly.

"No, no, no. Unacc-fucking-ceptable. I read. I've seen every Oprah known to mankind. And bullies always had some fucked up thing goin' on that made them jerks. Tell me your thing."

"I don't have one. I just wanted to fit in, and I didn't care who I hurt." The words came out of their own volition, and my eyes widened. Bella regarded me for a moment before she began to giggle. I frowned.

"Why are you laughing?"

"You have a-a-" She held onto the table to stay up, "an e-epiphamy face!"

I grunted but couldn't help but smile. "Maybe I do, drunky. And it's epiphany." I eyed her, rolling my eyes at the empty shot glasses in front of her. "How much have you had to drink?"

"Hmmm…" She mused, taking one of the empty glasses and tilting it on its side, "Not nearly enough." She sighed before resting her head delicately on the bar so she was still facing me. I could see Jeff's eyes widen in alarm- the police chief's underage daughter passing out at his bar seemed a rational excuse for such a reaction- and I nodded to him. He nodded back, but still looked wary.

"You know what, Eddie?" She blinked a few times before continuing. "It… it's funny. I don't know what you are. Would you even care about me if I wasn't hot?" She snorted, and I chuckled. Even completely wasted, she was still beautiful. I felt an unfamiliar tug in my chest.

I shrugged, determined to be honest with her. "I don't know."

She scoffed. "You don't seem to know much, Cullen."

"I know Jasper cares about you." _Now, where the fuck did that come from?_

"Yeah, so much that he ditched me for a little bromance with you. Along with some random-ass black-haired bitch. Please. I was stupid to think he actually liked me. He's just like all the rest." She pounded her fists on the bar with each syllable, "Fuck-And-Run!"

"Jasper's not like that," I muttered, knowing she could hear me, "He does have his share of mindless sex, but I think he likes you."

"Liked, maybe. Well, fuck it. I knew it. I was just a trophy."

"What, like a hunting thing?"

"No!" She exclaimed, seeming appalled at the thought, "No, no, no, _much_ prettier than that. I bet he has it in his gigantic mansion. The 'First in Forks to Fuck Bella Swan' award." She laughed into her glass but her eyes were closed. I felt a pang when she revealed that bit of info to me. It made my jealousy simmer, but the guilt was giving me a headache. _Jasper lied about fucking her. What does that mean?_

Jeff was making air signals to me saying to get here out of there, pronto. He passed me a note written on a napkin. I rolled my eyes. He could probably say whatever he wanted to through a bullhorn and Bella wouldn't pick up on it. She was too focused on her man-hating speech. I quickly read the note.

_Just got head's up: Charlie's coming in 5 min. _

_for a drink w/ deputies. Get her out of here NOW. _

_I'll owe you._

I sighed. It would be tempting to leave her here, but then my favorite club (and the only one where I didn't need to provide a fake ID) would probably close. "_And you don't want Bella to get hurt" _My inner-tormentor reminded me.

I made up my mind and nodded to Jeff before grabbing Bella's arm lightly. She turned around and scowled at me, jerking her arm out of my grasp.

"Lea' me alone," she grumbled, turning back toward the bar. I rolled my eyes before swiftly picking her up bridal style. I thought about caveman style, but she'd probably throw up all over the back of my jeans.

"What the FUCK!" she screeched, feebly pushing at my hands as I quickly strode with her outside. She calmed down as we walked through the night air. She nuzzled into my shoulder and let out a deep sigh. I almost dropped her out of surprise. Recovering quickly, I haphazardly opened the Volvo's passenger door with my foot and gently set her inside. As I clicked the seat belt on, she opened one eye.

"Where are we going?" she murmured, her head tipping back against the headrest. I shrugged, and she gave a wry chuckle before closing her open eye. I didn't know where to take her. Her house was out of the question- her dad would probably notice if she stumbled around in a drunken stupor. Both Alice and Rose were out of town. That left James or Jasper- I grit my teeth, but refused to consider it. _None of the above._

I would take her home with me.

The drive to my house was a short one, but I drove slowly as my thoughts raced. _What are you doing? What the FUCK are you doing? Not only will she murder you when she wakes up and sees where she is, but then Jasper or James will finish the job. You're an idiot. Take her to Jasper's. He wouldn't turn her away._

But I couldn't let myself. This might be the only chance that I would get to make her listen to me. When she woke up in the morning, I'd apologize. I didn't want to carry the weight of this guilt around anymore. My mind made up, I pulled into my driveway. Bella stirred at the sound of the gravel crunching under the tires.

"Where…?" she asked, opening her eyes to peer at me.

"My house." I answered quickly as I cut the engine and walked around to open her door.

"Ohhh…" she moaned as I picked her up again, shutting the car door and walking towards my front door, "You live in a huge house, too. Surprise, surprise."

Although she could be referencing Alice or Rosalie, I knew she was talking about Jasper. My jaw ticked in irritation. "Yeah, yeah. Just try not to throw up on anything."

"Where are we going?"

"My room."

"Fuck that, I'm not getting raped. I've seen Dateline, Edward. Just b-because you're pretty doesn't mean you won't go to jail. And you'd totally be everyone's bitch. And I mean _eeeeeveryone's_." She smirked at me, probably imagining me starring in my own personal version of The Shawshank Redemption. What a bitch.

"Thanks for the warning, Swan, but I'm not the type to rape anybody." I was pissed. I knew she was drunk, but she could honestly think me capable of something like that? _Obviously, yes. _It made me angry that she would even think it, but I'd have to hope that her rational, sober mind wouldn't suspect me of such a thing.

I lowered her gently to my bed and she immediately rolled over to the far end, as far away from me as she could get. I sighed, picking up a blanket at the foot of my bed before walking towards the couch that sat in the corner of my room.

"Ed…ward…" I could tell she was about to pass out. "Don't leave me alone, please." I opened my mouth, but couldn't think of anything to say. She sounded so tired and vulnerable. I tentatively crawled in beside her. She immediately flounced over to my side of the bed and burrowed her face into my shoulder. One of her arms skimmed over my chest and ended up lightly resting on my shoulder. I could feel her lips against the skin of my neck, and the short puffs of air when she breathed.

Against my neck, she whispered, "I know I'm drunk outta my mind, but I promise I won't beat you up in the morning."

"Thanks," I said, sarcasm dripping from my voice. _As if those little fists could do that much damage._

"Edward?"

"Yes?"

"Why aren't you sorry?"

"I was, and I am."

"Say it."

I glanced at the ceiling, my regret winning over my pride. "I'm sorry, Bella. I'm so sorry."

She nuzzled closer and let out a small sigh. "That's all I wanted."

**Bella's POV**

Holy fuck, my head was pounding. I twisted uncomfortably in the sheets, trying to bury my head to keep my vision from spinning. It was then that my traitor senses decided to finally return to me.

_Sound:_ A bird cackles through a window. Want to kill bird.

_Sight:_ There is sun shining through the window.

_Taste:_ My mouth feels cottony and disgusting. I can taste tequila in the back of my throat.

_Sight:_ That's not my fucking window. Still want bird dead.

_Smell:_ Crisp scents under my nose: the soft scent of leather and a tang of citrus.

_Smell:_ Resembles the scent of a boy.

_Touch: _My arms are entwined around a soft neck. Someone's hands on my waist.

_Sight:_ Not my bed…

_Sight:_ Edward Cullen is in the bed.

_Sight:_ I AM IN FUCKING EDWARD CULLEN'S BED!

I jumped up like a frog on speed and leapt across the room after quickly disentangling myself from him. I glared menacingly as I leaned against his couch, my eyes wide and my breath coming quickly. He opened his eyes blearily and blinked at me a few times.

"What… why…" I stuttered, noticing that both he and I were both thankfully clothed. He squinted at me, stretching his toned arms.

"You don't remember?" he asked, sounding… disappointed? I frowned, concentrating on the events of last night. I was so pissed at Jasper. Didn't want to ruin Rose and Alice's weekend. Drove to the Bronze. Lots of tequila… Edward…

"I-I remember," I stuttered, embarrassed. I'd actually asked him to stay with me. In the bed. _Christ, I'm a cuddly drunk._

"Yeah." He seemed awkward, which was refreshing. Awkward Edward was much friendlier to my hangover than the usual pissed-and-moody Edward. "I apologized!" He said suddenly, his eyes widening after he said it, as if he was surprised his mouth had spoken. I smirked slightly, nodding as I rubbed my temples.

"Yeah, I remember. Gold star for apologizing seven years late." He flinched, and I immediately felt bad. _Bad? For treating Cullen like shit? What is wrong with me?_

"Shower?" I questioned. His eyes did that wide-eyed Bambi thing again at the abrupt subject change before he wordlessly pointed to the adjoining door next to him. I nodded, barreling into the room and shutting myself inside. I breathed quickly as I leaned against the door.

I turned the water on his fancy, tiled shower as hot as it could go before collecting myself in front of the mirror. Mascara was bleeding from my eyes, which were red and puffy. My hair was a homage to punk rock 80's bands, and my shirt and jeans were wrinkled. _Sexy._ I rolled my eyes at my reflection before turning to check how hot the water was. Wincing at the temperature, I toned it down a bit before taking off my clothes. I cast a wary look around the bathroom for hidden cameras as I stepped into the hot spray.

Last night had been… interesting. I was more than a little angry at myself for getting that drunk. I was resentful that it was Edward who came to my rescue. Edward, who turned out to be a decent guy that didn't take advantage… and he apologized.

I mulled over the apology in my head as I stole some of Cullen's shampoo and worked it through my tangled hair. I had to drag the apology out of him, but it had seemed genuine. Like he meant it. What to do now? I wasn't sure what to do with Edward Cullen if I didn't hate him. I was comfortable with being snarky and bitchy before, because he was a dick who deserved it. Something told me I wouldn't be able to stomach acting that way anymore, not after last night.

The sound of voices came through the door, and I dropped the washcloth like it had scalded me. Edward's voice was expected, but who he was talking to wasn't. I knew that voice. And it sounded like it was coming closer to the door.

Where I was naked.

In Cullen's shower.

_Oh, please no. No, no, no, no…_

The handle turned, and I cowered in the corner of the shower.

*****

Chapter End Notes:

There are some intentional omissions here- for example, the conversation Edward and Jasper had where Jasper denied having sex with Bella. That will be explained next chapter, along with the identity of the voice about to barge in on Bella in Edward's shower!

Review please :o)


	16. Chapter 16

Surprisingly, I didn't receive that many death threats for last chapter's cliffhanger :o) You guys rock. Please continue to review and let me know what you're thinking. It really does mean a lot to me. And for the one reviewer who PM'd me about how I was going to hell for writing sex scenes... well, the next lemon is gonna be dedicated to you ;o)

I'm not Stephenie Meyer, and I don't own Twilight or its characters.

*****************

**Bella's POV**

_Oh God oh God oh God oh God…_

Of course. Like the past 24 hours couldn't get any stranger. This was fate's final smack in the face.

Jasper was going to walk in on me in Edward's shower.

**Edward's POV**

I watched Bella go into _my_ bathroom, to use _my _shower, and marveled at how much things could change over a few hours.

"You look spent."

I jumped and turned to find Jasper standing in my doorway, his head tilted in that puppy dog way all the girls thought was so adorable. He laughed when he noticed what had to be my shocked expression.

"Sorry if I scared you."

I cleared my throat, "It's okay." I looked from him to the door, realizing that Bella could probably hear us, "Do you think we could talk later? I'm kind of…" I gestured towards the sound of the shower running, "… Busy."

"Why, who's in there?" he asked, grinning as he inched closer to the door.

"Uh…" I stuttered, subtly trying to place myself between him and the door.

"Jesus Edward, Mallory again?" He wrinkled his nose. "Since when do you let them spend the whole night?" He chuckled, walking past me and twisting the door knob, "Should I say hello?"

_No. No. Fuck, no._ I pictured the potential scene: Bella would be humiliated and glaring daggers at me, thinking I'd planned this. Jasper would misread the situation and end up stabbing me somewhere painful, like my neck.

"Nah…" I struggled to regain my composure. "Leave her alone, I think I pissed her off this morning."

"So it is Lauren, then? Fuckin' disgusting, man." He wrinkled his brow again condescendingly before backing off and walking back towards me, and I fought against my instinct of telling him how very gorgeous the occupant of my shower was.

"Yeah, yeah…" I scratched the back of my neck. "Can we talk later? I want to take care of… this." I waved my arm in a wide gesture towards the bathroom door.

"Right." He nodded, "I wanted to know if you wanted to catch a movie with me and Emmett later."

"Sure." I agreed hastily, ready to concede to almost anything just to get him out the door, "Sounds good."

"Alright." He looked skeptical as I followed him down the stairs before nearly pushing him out the door, "Come over to my place around two."

I leaned the closed door, breathing heavily before walking up the stairs.

She was sitting on my bed, wearing the same tank top and jeans as she toweled off her hair. She raised an eyebrow at me, and once again I was speechless.

She cleared her throat. "I'm assuming you didn't know he'd be here."

"No." I said. "I know you probably don't believe me, but-"

"I believe you." She said automatically. She smirked wryly before shrugging, "Not sure _why_, but I do."

The silence stretched between us so much that it was almost tangible.

"Where are your parents?" she asked. I blinked at the random direction her thoughts had taken.

"Visiting my aunt and uncle in Port Angeles. I'll go up and join them on Thanksgiving." She nodded before looking down, scuffing her heels on the floor.

"Edward?" she asked, looking up at me.

"Yeah?" I was bracing myself for her to say anything, probably something uncomplimentary.

"You didn't have to do that. You didn't have to keep Jasper from seeing me here, and you didn't have to take care of me last night." Her back straightened slightly. "So… thank you."

"You're welcome." I could hardly believe that I was having a civil conversation with Bella Swan.

"Can, um… can you drive me to my car?" She seemed almost shy all of the sudden.

"Yeah." I said, grabbing my keys before motioning towards the door. She climbed in the passenger seat and the ten minute ride was silent. I pulled up to the strip mall parking lot and put the car in park, wondering what to say to her.

"Bella."

"Yeah?"

"Do you think we could ever be, uh, friends?"

Oh God, it sounded like a line from an after-school special.

She turned to face me, and I was surprised to find that she didn't look angry or pissed. She didn't look like she was happy, but at least I wasn't about to be bitch slapped.

She bit her lip before shrugging. "Stranger things have happened." She gave me a small smile before swiftly opening the passenger door and closing it behind her. I watched her walk to her dilapidated-looking truck. _She smiled at me._

I knew I wasn't completely forgiven, but I was on the right track to finally redeeming my asshole middle school self.

Finally.

**Jasper's POV**

Bella was better than me. I knew this. I'd always known it. She was better than me when we were little kids. Too sweet and kind to fight back against everyone who teased her. Whereas I was the little chicken shit that wasn't strong enough to stand up for her.

Some things hadn't changed.

I knew believing Maria had been a mistake. I knew that now. A lot of good it did me. I still thought Bella overreacted, but I could understand why she'd react that way. She was as new to having a legitimate relationship as I was, and I'd taken for granted that she knew my feelings without me having to say them.

Of course I loved her. How could I not? She was feisty and intelligent but also sweet and generous. I was the unworthy bastard that she chose to be with, and who'd disappointed her in the end.

I tried talking to her; she ignored me. She even went so far as to partnering with Edward in Bio- that really could not have been a bigger slap in the face. That she would rather sit next to _Edward_ everyday was proof enough that she hated me now.

Alice and Rosalie advised me to stop bugging her; to give her space. I wasn't sure that that was the right course of action. The romantic in me wanted to follow her around everywhere. Bring her enough flowers to flood her room. Beg for her forgiveness. But any attempt I made to even greet her was firmly rebuffed. Rosalie and Alice were right… I would have to wait.

Still, I kept as many details of the break up that I could to myself. I usually told Edward everything. He was the one who'd gotten me through the tornado that was Maria. It was only natural that I went to him after the Maria and Bella situation blew up in my face.

"_You fucked up." Edward repeated my refrain of the night, "So, what happened? Did you fuck Maria?"_

"_God, no." I glared at him, insulted that he thought me capable of that. He only raised his eyebrows, and I silently lowered my gaze in acknowledgement that my past self wasn't above being that much of a bastard._

"_So Bella was jealous." He mulled over this new piece of information as I took another shot, "Understandable, especially if she thought you were going from fucking her to fucking your ex." _

_Something didn't sit right with telling Edward that I'd slept with Bella. It hadn't been just sex, and it made me feel dirty for him to trivialize it that way. Unbidden, my mouth spoke, "I didn't fuck Bella."_

_Edward's look of shock made me feel smug and satisfied. Let him think that I was better than I really was. Because the truth was, I hadn't fucked Bella. I'd made love to her._

Life without Bella was rough. Seeing her the week after we broke up was harder. I deserved every dirty look that Rosalie and Alice threw my way that week. I also deserved the well-aimed punch James delivered to my gut that Monday.

Didn't mean I had to like the fucker.

He'd been so pissed when I wouldn't fight back.

_I wheezed, backing away a few steps and scowling as I held a hand to my abs. I winced… it was going to bruise like a bitch._

"_Fight back." James seethed, stepping closer to me. "Fight back, you fucking prick."_

_I coughed, "No." _

_His mouth set in a grim line, he shook his head at me. _

"_I thought you could be good to her. Thought you wouldn't be a complete and total asshole, or else I wouldn't have backed out-"_

"_Backed out?" I wheezed, leaning against a locker, "Please. You know you didn't have a chance with Bella."_

_His face turned red in anger. _

_Wrong choice of words on my part._

"_You know, if I were a dick- like you, Hale- then I would try to prove myself right now. I would completely fucking disregard how Bella feels and just seduce her and stick my dick in her to prove a point. But I care about her too much to do something like that to her. I have the self control. You are an immature little prick, and you broke her." He spit on the ground next to my feet and I glared at him. I was angry at his words, but more angry at myself. I knew Bella was upset, but did she really hate me that much?_

"_Stay away from her." He said in a low voice, looking at me like I was dirt._

"_I love her." I muttered aloud for the first time._

_He laughed, throwing his arms up, "Oh, you love her? Well that changes fuckin' everything, Jasper!" He dropped his arms to his side, "If you really loved her, you wouldn't be here."_

_I narrowed my eyes, confused. "I wouldn't be at school?"_

"_No." He said, speaking slowly, "You would have driven right back to her as soon as you realized you made a mistake. You would've found her crying on the floor like someone died, instead of me, and you would've comforted her. Instead you pussied out and didn't even call or any other shit. You should've been outside her house fucking camping out till she would listen." _

_I shrugged, which made him look even more pissed. _

"_I don't get you, Hale." He took a step back, disgusted, "Stay away from Bella."_

"_I don't-" I protested, but he cut me off._

"_You've done more than enough damage."_

_And I couldn't disagree._

I tried to go back to normal. I knew I had to give Bella time. She was hurt, and she had every right to be, but I'd make her see that what I'd done wasn't as big a deal as she thought. I loved her, which was fucking frightening… but the thought of never holding her again was terrifying.

In the meantime, I tried to liven up a little bit. Emmett had suggested just the guys go to the new comic book movie, complete with gratuitous tit shots. Once Edward was disposing of his latest skank, he'd come, too. I was grateful at what a good friend Edward had been since the break-up. I'd expected him to start badmouthing Bella, but he never said a word. He let me vent but didn't call me a pussy. Most importantly, he let me make a significant dent in Carlisle and Esme's liquor stash.

What were best friends for?

I rode into town, stopping by the grocery store for a quick junk food run. I parked my bike and strode in, immediately zoning in on the candy/cookies aisle. A memory flashed in my mind, unbidden:

_Bella watched with thinly veiled disgust as I drizzled the chocolate chip cookie in maple syrup, smacking my lips in anticipation._

"_You're so gross," she declared, making an "ew" face as I playfully flipped her off._

"_Whatever, this shit's delicious." I waggled my eyebrows before taking a huge bite. _

"_Your metabolism is gonna catch up to you someday." She teased, "And then I'll be dating the world's fattest man." I held out one sticky, syrupy finger towards her face._

"_No!" She shrieked, laughing as I began to chase her around my kitchen, fingers outstretched._

A flash of pain ran through me when I remembered her playful smile. I hadn't seen her smile at school at all since we broke up.

I hoped she was still smiling, even if I wasn't there to see it.

Turning businesslike, I walked down the aisle and grabbed a bag of gummy peach rings. I was debating chocolate-covered raisins versus peppermint patties when a familiar nasal voice interrupted my internal debate. I turned, my brow furrowing.

Lauren Mallory was pushing a full cart leisurely through the aisle, chattering mindlessly on her cell phone. "I know, he hasn't called me, but you know, I know he's busy and stuff." She paused by my aisle before smirking into the phone, "Eddie's bound to come to his senses sometime…" Unnoticed, I watched her pass by.

There was no way she could've beaten me here.

I looked back to the various candy wrappers, troubled and a little curious. Edward wasn't the type to be sneaky about his conquests. Why he would say he was banging Mallory when he wasn't was beyond me.

Shrugging, I grabbed a box of peppermint patties before making my way to the checkout line.

*****************

I love my readers, so love me back and review please :o)

**Teaser: Thanksgiving chapter!**

Tanya eagerly pushed the sweet potatoes dish towards me. I looked down, grim. She'd made a smiley face out of the melted marshmallow on top.

"Thanks." I muttered, spooning out a bit onto my plate.

"So, Bells…" Charlie began speaking, awkward as always, "I hear you and Edward Cullen are becoming buddies. That's a little weird, huh?"

James' fork clinked harshly against his plate.


	17. Chapter 17

Thank you for all of the reviews!

Once again, I am not S. Meyer, and I don't own Twilight.

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**Bella's POV**

Thanksgiving. A holiday where I usually watched Renee manage to butcher every single dish before we'd inevitably order in. Two years ago, we'd had Thai. Last year, it was Italian. This year I was seated on an unfamiliar plush cushion that Tanya had placed on every chair in Charlie's dining room. I was sitting next to Charlie and across from Tanya, who was annoyingly bubbly, and James, who looked about as happy as I felt.

Tanya eagerly pushed the sweet potatoes dish towards me. I looked down, grim. She'd made a smiley face out of the melted marshmallow on top.

"Thanks." I muttered, spooning out a bit onto my plate.

"So, Bells…" Charlie began speaking, awkward as always. "I hear you and Edward Cullen are becoming buddies. That's a little weird, huh?"

James' fork clinked harshly against his plate.

I chanced a glance over at him and immediately flinched back from the intense glare he was sending my way. _Thanks a lot, Charlie. _

"Well, uh… I don't know, we're on okay terms." I said lamely, keeping my cowardly eyes glued to my plate. I could practically feel James' eyes on my face.

Charlie cleared his throat. "I mean to say, it's just… I mean, he really put you through the ringer, you know? It's a little strange-" He paused. "I just, uh… want you to be… careful?"

"Don't worry, we're not that close." I said before stuffing a fork full of mashed potatoes into my mouth. Charlie nodded before opening his mouth as if he was going to continue the conversation. An obvious exaggerated cough from Tanya made him promptly shut his mouth, and I found myself unwittingly giving her a grateful look.

She smiled at me before saying, "Isabella, I was at the mall the other day and I saw the cutest sundress that would look fantastic on you. I know, it's gross and dreary here, but maybe if we took a girl's day out next summer you could wear it and I could wear one too and we could match-"

She smiled and I was granted a peek at her blindingly white teeth. I've always thought it was creepy when someone's teeth were whiter than the whites of their eyes, but apparently Tanya didn't feel the same way.

"Maybe," I supplied, giving her a small smile. I instantly regretted it when she beamed at me, probably already crafting matching BFF necklaces for us to wear. _Fuck._

James pushed his half-empty plate towards the center of the table. "I'm full," he announced. "Can I take anyone else's plate in?"

"Bells, you're almost done. Why don't you clear the table with James?" Charlie suggested, most likely wanting alone time with Slutterina Barbie. I shuddered before shrugging my agreement. I picked up my plate and Charlie's before walking into the kitchen behind James.

"Edward Cullen?" he asked. "Really?"

"Yes, really." I rolled my eyes. "It's not like I'm in love with the guy, we just talk."

"I don't like it," he said. "Cullen can't be trusted."

"Duly noted, but I think I can take care of myself." I maintained, sighing at the pile of dishes Tanya had already left in the sink.

"I wish you'd listen to me." James said, putting the dinner plates in the dish washer with a slam that made them clink. "He isn't the type of guy you should be friends with."

"Enough. Please." I practically begged. "Let's talk about something else."

"Whatever, Bella." James said before walking out of the kitchen. I flinched when I heard the door slam. Great, I managed to piss off one of my only allies.

Charlie walked in, his brow furrowed. "What did you say to him?" he asked, eyeing me with disapproval.

"Nothing," I said petulantly.

"Is this about Tanya?" he asked suspiciously from where he was standing behind me, and I wanted to laugh. _No, not everything is about my whorish new wannabe Step-Mommy. _

"Not really," I said instead, wanting to spare my dad's feelings.

"C'mon kid. Lay it on me," he argued. Fine. He wanted to hear what I really thought of Tanya?

"You barely even know her." I offered as explanation, scrubbing one casserole dish harder than necessary.

"That's not true," Charlie objected. "I've known her a while, Bells. She's had me over for dinner every week for a long time." He paused, "She's a kind woman."

"Kind?" I snorted. "I don't think she has enough brain cells to be anything, Charlie."

I flinched as his fist pounded harshly on the counter top.

"Why can't I be happy, Bella?" He asked, anger and hurt in his voice. "Why do you support your mother moving on but not me?"

"That's different." I muttered, turning off the sink and examining my pruning fingertips.

"Different how?"

"Because she's all…" I paused. "Don't make me say it."

"Isabella," Charlie said warningly, and I rolled my eyes at his attempt at sounding strict.

"Fine," I seethed, turning around to face him. "She is shallow, vapid and she seems like the type of girl that's a bitch behind everyone's back. I say 'girl' because she's like ten years younger than you. I don't want you to get hurt when you find out she's not what you thought she was."

I'd never seen my father look more hurt.

"My judgment? You're questioning _my_ judgment?" he asked incredulously. "What about you? I watched Edward Cullen take you apart piece by piece to the point that I lost my daughter over it, and it's all better now? I've run into the boy more than I'd like, and he's still the same little pissant."

"Edward was a dick, but he apologized. And guess what? At least, even at his worse, he was honest. Tanya will get you to marry her and then you'll see that she hasn't been honest a day in her life!" I shouted, throwing a dishtowel to the floor and stomping out of the house. I heard him calling after me, but I kept walking.

I climbed into the truck and gunned the engine dramatically, knowing that I was acting like a brat, but not caring for once. I considered where I could go before I found myself driving to the house I'd only been to once before. I knocked once and waited until he opened the door.

"Ironically enough, I had nowhere else to go." I shrugged, uncomfortably shifting from foot to foot on his doorstep. Even as I spoke the words, I knew they weren't true. I could go home and ignore James' calls. I could go to Alice's or Rosalie's… but I knew that they would agree with James over me and I didn't want to bother.

Edward Cullen had the unique ability to make me forget. He didn't try to confront me or lecture me. He didn't care enough about me to do so, and I felt grateful for it. Biology always passed quickly and peacefully because he never prodded or bothered me.

My head felt deliciously serene whenever he was around. I didn't worry about Jasper, or my dad, or my friends. I just was, and I wanted to feel like that again.

Edward nodded once, although it looked like he didn't believe me. He awkwardly stood aside and gestured for me to come in. I walked in and looked around as he shut the door behind me.

"Having a good Thanksgiving?" he finally asked, and I looked back at him for a quiet moment. I bit back a smile before I started giggling, leaning against the banister for support. He smiled and ducked his head a little, chuckling to himself. "Ask a stupid question…" he said, nodding towards me.

I nodded back, amused when I heard footsteps coming down the hall. Embarrassed, I started towards the door. "I'm sorry, I didn't know-" I stuttered, cursing my stupidity. It was _Thanksgiving_, of course he wasn't alone.

"No-" Edward protested, grabbing the crook of my arm lightly.

"No, don't go." A soft voice floated from around the corner. I turned in time to see a beautiful woman with soft waves of caramel-colored hair, a shade darker than Edward's. I'd heard of Esme Cullen- I think everyone in town had at some point- but to see her in person was intimidating. I wasn't prepared for the kind smile she offered. I noticed her look from me to Edward, to Edward's hand on my arm. He quickly withdrew it, but I could feel where his fingertips had pressed lightly into my skin.

"Please, stay. It's so rare that Edward has any guests besides Jasper," she said gently. I forced a smile on my face as I heard Edward emit a huff of annoyance, probably at his mother for mentioning Jasper in front of me. I felt a rush of appreciation that he cared whether I was comfortable. Yet another reason to believe that he wasn't completely evil.

"It's nice to meet you," I finally spoke, extending my hand for her to shake. She took it with a smile and shook it lightly before looking from Edward to me again.

"Who is this lovely young lady?" she asked. Edward coughed and rubbed the back of his neck.

_I take it back. He doesn't want to introduce me. Dick._

"This is Bella, mom," he said, meeting her eyes. Esme's expression immediately changed from surprise to confusion. She turned to me again, her gaze unwavering now.

"Bella Swan?" she asked. I nodded. She took a ragged breath before I saw her eyes begin to water. I panicked and stepped back towards her, wondering what was wrong. She immediately pulled me into a tight hug that took my breath away.

"Mom…" Edward sounded embarrassed. I patted Esme's back awkwardly before she let me go, her eyes still misty.

"I…" Esme seemed to struggle with her words, "I'm so glad you're here." She smiled brightly at us. "Edward, Carlisle and I are going to go visit Aunt Jane. I fixed some hot chocolate if you two would like some." She smiled at me again before disappearing down the hall. I turned back to Edward as I heard their garage door opening at the side of the house.

"She knows?" I surmised, wondering how this wonderful woman could've known what her son was doing.

"She knows," he confirmed, "And I was grounded for weeks after she found out."

I arched an eyebrow at him, "That must've been so hard." Sarcasm dripped from my voice.

He smirked. "Oh yeah, it was horrible."

I smiled at him for a brief moment, wondering when I'd healed to the point that I was able to joke about his past actions. Maybe because it didn't seem to compare to the train wreck that was me and Jasper.

"Do you think any stores are open now?" I asked suddenly.

Edward squinted at me. "Stores?"

I rolled my eyes. "Like grocery stores, Safeway or CVS or something."

He checked his watch. "Yeah, probably till 11 or so… why?"

"Because it's time for a change," I said with a smile, tugging on his hand impetuously. He looked surprised for a moment before grinning and following me out of the door.

**Jasper's POV**

"I hope you know that I gave up hanging out with Dominique tonight for this," Alice whined as we pulled into the grocery's parking lot.

"You have Angela. You shouldn't be chasing after other women anyway." I pointed out dutifully, laughing as she glared at me from the passenger seat.

"Whatever, I'm allowed to look," she said disdainfully as she took off her seatbelt. "I thought we were going to watch movies, why are we here?" She followed me out of the car, bitching the whole way, "I hope we're not here to feed your goddamn sugar rush."

We walked in and were immediately surrounded by the smell of air freshener and produce. "We're here because it's Thanksgiving, and everyone else is with their families. I'm not spending Thanksgiving alone and drunk."

"Uh huh," Alice said skeptically, "you're just spending it with me drunk."

"That's the idea." I confirmed, looking down the aisles for our impromptu late Thanksgiving dinner items. I grabbed a pumpkin pie from the bakery before walking towards the meat section for some turkey.

Alice's incessant chattering stopped as we passed one aisle, and I turned to see her gaping with her mouth open at some unseen person.

"What?" I laughed. "Cute girl? Scamming on someone that's not Angela again?" I peeked around her shoulders and stopped cold at the sight no more than ten feet away from me.

Bella and Edward. In the hair color aisle?

"I really think black is your color," she giggled, waving a small box at him. Edward jumped away, scowling half-heartedly before laughing.

Neither one of them noticed me.

"Jasper," Alice said urgently from my side, "Let's just go, please…" she pleaded, probably wanting to spare me the pain of watching the girl I loved and the fucktard who I thought was my best friend laugh and flirt. At night. On Thanksgiving. _What the fuck?_

Both faces turned sharply to face me. That coupled with Alice's flinch told me that I'd spoken aloud. Bella's expression looked hurt for a fraction of a second before anger glinted in her brown eyes. I shifted my gaze to Edward, who was looking abashed, but also pissed… his jaw was ticking; a trait that I'd learned meant he was tense.

_Goddamn right, he should be tense. _

"What the fuck?" Bella asked, her eyes fiery. "What the fuck to _you_, what the fuck?"

I shook my head. "How long has this been going on?"

Edward took a step toward me with his palms up, like he was trying to calm me down.

"What? You can't tell me who I can be friends with." Bella said angrily, touching Edward's arm, "Don't," she implored. He stopped before looking from me to her.

"You're friends," I said, disbelief in my tone. "Edward is forgivable, but I'm not?"

She scoffed. "It's not the same and you know it."

I didn't know whether to be thrilled that she was finally talking to me or devastated at the words she chose.

"I am sorry, you _know_ that I'm sorry," I implored, ignoring Alice's grip on my sleeve as I took a step closer to her.

"I can't listen to this," she said, her voice on the verge of tears. She grabbed a box off of the shelves before running out of the aisle. Edward exchanged a look with me, then Alice, before taking off after her.

"Jasper…" Alice sighed, letting go of me and leaning up against one of the shelves. "That wasn't… you didn't…"

"Did you know?" I demanded, wondering who else knew that Bella and Edward were close all of the sudden. I knew they made small talk in Bio, and they'd occasionally talk during lunch, but actually getting together outside of school?

"No," she shook her head, "I didn't know they were hanging out, but it doesn't exactly surprise me."

"I don't know what to do about this," I finally said, rubbing my temples.

"You have to make her listen to you, Jazz. We've all… well, except for James and Edward… we've all been trying to get her to just listen to you."

"I apologized, what else can I do?" I said dully, feeling the pain that I thought had abated returning full force in my gut.

"No one can tell you what to do, but you know Bella. I know you do. If you've done anything right-" I cracked a small smile at that, "It was your time with Bella, minus the ending."

"And now Edward's my competition," I said numbly, wondering why it killed me to think of them in the same room together, let alone _together_.

"Maybe, maybe not," Alice conceded as she picked up our basket. "But your focus shouldn't be Edward. He's your best friend, you should trust him. Your focus should be Bella." She paused, looking towards the ceiling. "Now let's get the fuck out of here, because fluorescent lighting makes me look like shit." She bit her lip before nodding once, "Happy fucking Thanksgiving, huh?"

I laughed once without humor and followed her as she started back towards the other end of the store.

****

Woo! Yeah, not very happy, but it is going somewhere. I'm glad that different reviewers have vastly different views of what's going on in this story. Some people think Bella completely overreacted, others think she was justified. Some people think Jasper is a tool, and others think he didn't deserve Bella's freak out. I love hearing everyone's opinions, so please share them with me. And now, a very short but sweet teaser:

**"You know, there's a dance next week," Emmett said as he bit into yet another sandwich, "The Snow Ball. Should be pretty tight, the punch is always spiked."**

**"Sounds fun," I said dryly.**

**"But, you have to take a date," he finished, mischief glinting in his eyes. He looked from Jasper, who was staring at the table, to Edward, who was glaring at him. **

Review!


	18. Chapter 18

If you don't know who Chris Crocker is (and I wish that I didn't), he's the mega Britney Spears fan who made the infamous "Leave Britney alone!" video. Google or YouTube him for the full effect- it'll make what Emmett says funnier :o)

Just a note to let you in on the inner-workings of my psyche- this story is stressing me out. On one hand I love seeing reviews of people absolutely in favor of Bella/Jasper or Bella/Edward, because it means that I've done a good job at getting people emotionally invested. On the other, the people pleaser side of me is hyperventilating at the thought that a good chunk of my readers may not like the ending I have planned. And no, there is no Bella/Jasper/Edward love triangle that solves everyone's problems (although that would be a fun one-shot to write).

That all being said, I've envisioned the same ending since plot-bunnies brought me the idea for this story, and I'm sticking with it. The actual writing of it might prove difficult, so please continue to review and encourage me! My outline only has this story lasting three to four more chapters (including this one).

Also, Alice is gay in this story, so she'll be staying gay. Jasper is a hottie but he's not enough to make her change her sexual persuasion (although, again, that would be a funny one-shot).

This chapter is dedicated to Lisa (Lyfonmars) who registered here and reviewed my story before all others :o) I really do love my readers, so pleeeeeease continue to validate me. EPOV takes place immediately following next chapter, and BPOV takes place the following school week. I don't own Twilight.

******

**Edward's POV**

I watched bemused as she tore into my room, slamming my bathroom door behind her.

"Bella?" I called, knocking tentatively. I could hear her muttering and cursing through the door. She hadn't calmed down since we'd run into Jasper at the grocery store.

I had to admit that it shook me up, too. Bella was determined to dye her hair back to her original shade of dark brown- she said it was to "proclaim her independence", whatever the fuck that meant. It was amusing to watch her flit around the hair dye aisle. She kept teasing me, suggesting different boxes of bleached blond or dark black dye for me to consider.

I ran a hand through my locks as I caught sight of myself in the mirror. _Pffft. Why mess with perfection?_

I heard a buzzing from my bed and turned around, confused. I cocked my head to the side when I realized Bella's phone was vibrating inside her purse.

Now, the old me would've immediately dug into her purse and checked it without a second thought. New me restrained myself, but I was still curious. I wanted to know who had called. Did Jasper realize what a dick he'd been? Was he going to apologize? Did he want to see her? I felt an irrational pang of irritation at the thought that I immediately inwardly chastised myself for. What right did I have to feel that way? _None whatsoever._

This was possibly the weirdest Thanksgiving I'd ever had- probably the best up until Jasper's "what the fuck" moment. The look my mother had given me… I could count on one hand the number of times I'd seen her look at me that way. With pride.

Now she and my dad were still out, which was very unusual since their visits to my elderly aunt usually lasted an hour at most. I cringed at the thought of my mom trying to give me "alone time" with Bella. _Christ, how embarrassing._ Lately it seemed that only Bella and I knew that we were only friends. Did I want to be more? I wasn't sure, but I found myself eagerly coveting whatever she gave me. I felt like a different man than when she originally crashed back into my life with all the subtlety of a hurricane.

Now she was locked in my bathroom dying her hair. I knocked again, still eyeing her purse on my bed.

"What?" she called, sounding irritated.

"Can I come in?" I asked, leaning against the door.

"Why?"

"I'm bored."

"That's it?"

"It_ is_ my bathroom…" I trailed off.

I heard the lock click and I twisted the door knob, opening it slowly. I most definitely was not prepared for the sight that greeted me: Bella standing over my sink… with her shirt on the floor. She spared me a glance before returning her attention to two small bottles.

"What the fuck?" I unconsciously echoed Jasper's favorite refrain.

She rolled her eyes at me before beckoning me closer with one hand. I tried to look at the floor for about two seconds before I gave up and unabashedly raked my eyes up and down her frame. She was wearing a hot pink bra. _She is most definitely trying to kill me._

"Is there a reason your shirt is off?" I finally said, choking a little bit when she turned back towards me with a smirk on her face.

"Why, does it bother you?" she asked innocently. I glared at her for a moment and she giggled slightly before gesturing to the bottles in her hands. "I don't want to stain my shirt," she said matter-of-factly, "rrgo, no shirt."

"Ah. Okay…" I don't know what it was about her that suddenly made me feel so awkward. Maybe the fact that in our prior encounters I knew she hated me, so I could at least act the part of the insensitive pigheaded bastard.

I didn't know what to be now that we were actually friends.

"Want to help?" she asked rhetorically before unceremoniously throwing a plastic thing at my head. I caught it deftly and turned it around in my fingers. It was a fat comb with a dip on the opposite side. I gave her a questioning look, and she laughed.

"C'mere," she motioned with one hand. I approached with the little comb or whatever the fuck it was. She carefully poured one of the bottles into another before shaking it slightly. I handed over the comb at her expectant look, and she screwed it on top of the full bottle.

"This," she proudly proclaimed, "is ready to go!"

"Uh…" I struggled, not knowing the least thing about dying hair, "shouldn't your hair be wet first?" It worked like shampoo, right? _Jesus, women do strange things to look pretty. _

She shook her head. "No, it goes on dry."

I furrowed my brow in confusion; she laughed again.

It was a sweet sound.

"Here, watch and tell me if I miss a spot," she demanded before leaning down and- my God, she was born to fuck with me- _bending over _before she started running the dye-comb thing through the back of her hair.

I watched her without making a sound as she quickly ran the whatever-the-fuck-it's-called through every strand of hair. Once she was done she sighed before washing her hands and wrapping one of my towels around her shoulders.

"And now…" she announced with a flourish, "we wait!"

"For?" I inquired, wondering how long that stuff had to stay on. It stunk.

"Fifteen minutes," she said breezily before sliding past me and plopping down on my couch.

"Make yourself at home," I said sarcastically, but I was pleased that she felt so comfortable here.

"Oh, I will," she said with equal measure sarcasm before flipping on the plasma TV that I had mounted on the wall. I sat down next to her and groaned as she turned on a cheesy sitcom.

At what seemed like a short time later, she glanced at the clock on the wall.

"It's time!" she exclaimed excitedly, dashing into the bathroom. I followed tentatively and watched open-mouthed as she turned my shower on and dipped her face and hair in the spray.

"It's cold!" she shouted with a quick laugh, running her fingers through her wet strands.

She turned the shower off after a minute or so. I shifted awkwardly in the doorway, feeling like a voyeur but also not giving a fuck about it. She took another towel and started rubbing her hair against it. She stood up and tilted her head in front of the mirror before making a satisfied noise. _Did she just… moan? _

"How's it look?" she asked while she laughed, shaking her damp hair back and forth for a moment. "Sexy?"

I coughed. If she looked hot as a dark blond… she looked amazing as a brunette.

"What?" she asked, her voice dropping an octave. "Is it… bad?"

I was completely silent… I think if I opened my mouth, I might've squeaked.

"I hope it's okay…" she continued, taking another step closer to me, "or Laurent will have my ass for not going to a salon to get it done…" she trailed off, taking yet another step. She was still wearing the bra. No shirt. _Fuck._

"Do you like it?" she asked, biting her plump lower lip as she gazed up at me.

"Yeah," my voice croaked. Every romantic or lust-filled thought I'd ever had about her came back with a vengeance as my mind was flooded with countless scenarios.

I lifted my hand and gently brushed my fingertips against her cheek, trailing them across her chin and her lips. She parted her lips and I drew in a ragged breath as her lips lightly caressed one finger.

I raised my other hand and brushed it against her damp hair, twisting it lightly beneath my fingers. She closed her eyes and leaned into my hand.

Needing no other prompting, I leaned forward and lightly brushed my lips against hers. Once, twice. They were soft and warm.

_Stop this,_ my mind implored, _Jasper loves her._

I took a breath before kissing her again, more firmly this time.

_Stop,_ the taunting continued, _she loves him._

She made a quiet sound in the back of her throat before her hands (which had been idle before) curled around my neck. She opened her mouth and lightly traced her tongue against my lips. I groaned and pulled her closer. Our kisses quickly turned passionate and fiery. I moaned against her lips before gripping her legs as she simultaneously wound them around my waist. I managed to prop her up against the sink when she froze in my grasp. I immediately took a step back from her, breathing deeply and fighting every instinct in me to go back and claim her as mine.

"I…" she paused, "I… should go home. I'm… I'm sorry," she said, wiping her lips with the back of her hand before she hurriedly grabbed her shirt and purse.

"Bella," I caught her arm before she left. She sighed before turning to face me.

"I'll see you at school?" I asked carefully, not wanting to freak her out more than she already seemed to be.

"Yeah," she said after a pause before rushing out of the room.

I watched her go before flopping back on my bed, the taste of her still on my lips.

**Bella's POV**

"So Bells, how was your weekend?" Charlie asked gruffly, rummaging through the mail that had compiled on the kitchen counter. He was spending more time at Tanya's than at home nowadays, and the past couple of days hadn't been any exception.

_Well, when I was pissed on Thanksgiving- you remember, I bitched you out that night and called your girlfriend a dirty slut- well, I went over to Edward Cullen's, went to the grocery store, saw Jasper, dyed my hair and let Edward kiss the fuck out of me. Then I went home and now I have no idea how to feel about anything. How about you?_

"Not much," I said, hoping he'd just leave me alone like he always did.

He just nodded before heading upstairs. I could hear his clunking footsteps reverberating through the whole house. I gathered my school supplies together and headed off to school.

I was grateful that the first half of the day passed quickly. Mindless gossip and giggling with Rose and Alice took my mind off of what I should have been thinking about; what I'd avoided thinking about. As I walked into the lunch room and sat at our empty table, my thoughts began to cloud over. I had no idea what I was doing, and I didn't know what to do next. My inner-emo tantrum was interrupted by Jasper sitting down at the table. I jumped with a start for a moment before immediately feeling anxious. This was the first time we were alone since we broke up, and I wondered if he'd try to apologize or have a heart-to-heart.

"You look nice today," Jasper said quietly. I felt a piece of my heart that I thought was in place shake loose.

"I…" I should have told him to fuck off. I should have told him that there are other things he should have told me by now, and that I look hot is not one of them. I should have told him that his little episode in the grocery store drove me to kiss his best friend.

But I didn't.

"…Thanks." I said, feeling odd when he trained his surprised but hopeful blue eyes on mine. I immediately remembered how Edward's eyes looked that night right after we kissed and couldn't help but compare them.

_Dark green, light blue, dark green, light blue._

I could tell that there was something else Jasper wanted to say, but our moment was ruined when Rosalie sat in the chair between us. I looked to my tray and tried not to wonder why I felt disappointed.

Edward sat in the seat next to mine and offered me a smile, which I returned before, once again, awkwardly looking down. Alice sat next to him and Emmett sat between her and Jasper, thus completing our little circle. Angela was off studying and James was back at his old table since he was still a little pissy about the whole me and Edward being friends thing.

The first few minutes of lunch seemed to pass painfully slow. It was as if everyone knew that something had shifted; that something had changed.

"You know, there's a dance next week," Emmett said as he bit into yet another sandwich, "the Snow Ball. Should be pretty tight, the punch is always spiked." _Leave it to Emmett to break the ice._

"Sounds fun," I said dryly.

"But, you have to take a date," he finished, mischief glinting in his eyes. He looked from Jasper, who was staring at the table, to Edward, who was glaring at him.

I fixed Emmett with a death stare of my own, which only made him smile wider. A sharp elbow jab from Rosalie seemed to do what the rest of us couldn't, and he coughed before looking at her with apologetic eyes.

_A dance. Great. _I looked over at Edward and he gave me a sympathetic look, which made me grin slightly. A chair twisting against the squeaky cafeteria floor made me inadvertently look in Jasper's direction. I could only see his back as he swiftly walked away.

Alice sighed, but Rosalie chuckled. Alice gave Rosalie a sharp look.

"What?" Rosalie scoffed. "He needs to toughen up. Just because she _looked_ at him is no cause for him to stomp out of here."

Edward looked a little guilty, but I felt annoyed. We weren't allowed to even look at each other without Jasper freaking out?

Alice sighed yet again. "I guess he was a little dramatic."

"More like a drama queen!" Rosalie corrected, tipping her Fanta can back in a mock-toast.

"He's a _human_! Leave Jasper alone!" Emmett screeched in a dead-on Chris Crocker impression, wiping fake tears from his cheeks.

"Babe…" Rosalie said, rolling her eyes. Emmett gave the table a cheesy grin before kissing her on the cheek.

"I've got to go to the library before class." I picked up my backpack and raised an eyebrow when Edward stood up as well.

"I have to pick up a book for American Lit," he offered as explanation. I nodded and waved to our table, trying to ignore the exaggerated look of appraisal that Emmett sent our way. Edward held one of the cafeteria doors open for me, and God help me, I blushed. Things were just… weird. I'll admit that I was upset that night. Jasper had no right to throw such a bitch fit over me hanging out with Edward. Dying my hair (and Edward's reluctant help) had been so unexpectedly fun and liberating that kissing him felt natural. I didn't even think about it. _But you probably should have._

He didn't talk about it, and neither did I. Maybe it could just be forgotten. _Kisses like that shouldn't._ Ugh! The little devil on my shoulder was currently campaigning for a repeat performance.

"So…" Edward began speaking and I was jolted out of my thoughts.

"Yeah?" I asked, surprised when he lightly grabbed my arm. He looked like a deer in headlights for a split second before his face became blank.

"I think I forgot something in the cafeteria…" he said quickly.

I squinted at him. "No, you didn't. You didn't even eat. Why are you lying?" My eyes flickered over to where he had looked before and I stopped cold.

Jasper talking to a leggy blond.

I bit my lip but I couldn't restrain the pang of hurt that flashed through me. She was very clearly flirting with him- flipping her long blond hair and giggling. Jasper didn't seem very interested as she prattled on, but he didn't tell her to fuck off either.

"C'mon," Edward urged, tugging on my arm. I willingly turned away from the unwelcome sight. Jasper never turned, never looked up. I didn't know whether I should be glad that he didn't see me or pissed that he hadn't.

I rounded a corner with Edward and immediately wrenched my arm from his grasp, leaning against an aisle of lockers and taking deep breaths. I took one look at him before looking away. He looked so… sympathetic, _God damn it_. I wasn't someone to be pitied.

"It's fine," I lied, shrugging my shoulders. Edward's "Do I look stupid to you?" look didn't escape my notice. I looked to the floor scratched linoleum floor.

"Her name is Irina," he said dully. "Very shallow, kind of a bitch. Not Jasper's type at all…" he paused at my grateful look, "…except for the bitch part." He grinned as I squealed indignantly, giving him a playful punch to the shoulder.

I chuckled for a second then shook my head slowly.

"Thank you," I said, looking up at him.

"For what?" he asked, bemused.

"Making me laugh about something this shitty," I explained.

"I could do better," he boasted. "What about if they had kids? Four words: cross-eyed inbred albinos."

I smiled and rolled my eyes as the warning bell rang.

"Time for class?" Edward extended his arm, and I took it.

"Might as well," I muttered, my sullen mood still hovering over me as we walked back to the classrooms.

******

Before I get any hate mail over this, I do know that being cross-eyed isn't a sign of inbreeding, nor is being albino. Don't attack me for Edward's douche-like ways, please.

I stayed up way past my bedtime to submit this ASAP, so no teaser this time around :o( However, please review and if I can find the proper motivation I'll update within a week and include a juicy teaser as well.


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